Forbidden Love
by 13WolfGirl13
Summary: Stella is half-human half-vampire. The Cullens decide to adopt her. When she starts living with them, she has strange dreams and gets new powers. What happens when she meets a certain tall, dark and handsome boy from La Push? Jacob/OC
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I am saying this for all my future chapters: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANYTHING TWILIGHT ASSOCIATED!

**PROLOGUE**

It was just another boring day in the biggest adoption house in Los Angeles. Couples come and go. Most of them leave with adorable little toddlers. Nobody adopts teenagers like myself. I have lived here for over five years and nobody even tries _talking_ to me.

_Why am I in this situation?_ Oh, yeah… Because both of my parents were killed by the Volturi when I was ten years old. My mom was one of the unfortunate humans who have fallen in love with a vampire.

When he left – for her own safety, as he put it – he didn't know she was pregnant. He thought it was impossible for vampires to reproduce. But I guess his or her genes were too strong. He roamed the world for a few years after, but decided to go to the Volturi – the "royal" vampire family – to offer them his services.

The Volturi coven was one of the rare ones who lived together in such big numbers. The leaders, Aro, Marcus and Caius, were the oldest ones and they took care of all the mistakes other vampires make. They also had a huge vampire guard with ten members.

I did some research on the Volturi's powers and found out that Aro had the power to see everything a person had ever thought of just with a touch, Marcus could sense relationships and Jane, one of their guards could cause the illusion of pain. I couldn't find out about the others.

When Aro touched my father, he saw everything. He saw that my father had broken the most important vampire rule, never to tell humans about our existence. Aro sent Jane to my mother's house, to kill her. I still don't know how she did it, but she succeeded. I remained alive, because they didn't know about me.

So now I am an orphan. I am very unlucky. My luck had turned when she had died. I spent most of my days now in the emergency room. There isn't a month in which I don't trip or fall or get hurt in any other way. I heal fast, being half vampire. I am beautiful, or to humans "dazzling", like every other vampire. Sometimes I don't have to eat or sleep, like others. I am not as pale as them, I can't see or hear as well as them, but I do have two special powers. They are mostly useless to me, but sometimes they come in handy.

_Like today._


	2. Chapter 2

**1. The Pale Couple**

I was going down the stairs, on my way to my room as I noticed a strange couple.

It was the first time I had ever seen anyone of my kind, so I wondered if they really were vampires. But something so beautiful and fragile – at the first gaze - could not be human.

While I was staring at them, one of my powers caught me off guard again. _"I don't know why Esme always visits adoption houses." _the pale man thought. _"It would be far too dangerous for a child to live with us!" _He wasn't angry, but rather worried. _"I wish I could give her the child she had always…" _I struggled to hear more, but the klutz I was, I missed a step and came tumbling down the stairs.

_Oh crap! I probably broke a leg or something…_

The kids' 'nanny', Mrs. Hardman was screaming at the wannabe parents, "Somebody get a doctor! FAST!!"

A beautiful voice was all I had heard before I lost consciousness.

* * *

"Can you hear me, Stella?" the voice said. I nodded.

"How are you feeling?" I opened my eyes and saw a man standing over me. He was the one whose thoughts I had heard earlier. The vampire…

"My leg…" I started to complain as I felt a throbbing pain on my side.

He explained the situation to me, carefully, "You are fine. You will only have a few bruises, which should heal easily. Judging by that fall, you should have _at least_ fractured your leg. You are very lucky." He chuckled.

I snorted, mentally and tried to sit up.

"I am Dr. Cullen." he offered me his hand and I shook it.

It had a weird feeling to it. It was firm and cold. I have never touched a vampire, so I wondered if this was how they all felt.

"This is my wife Esme," he introduced me to the person sitting next to him. That was when I first noticed something strange about their eyes. They weren't blood red like the other vampires' are –at least that was what I have heard – they were butterscotch. In my mom's pictures of my dad, I saw that his were not quite red, a little bit lighter... But not gold like the couple's. So they were human? Impossible! Everything else about them screamed _vampire_!

"I wish to talk to her alone if possible, Mrs. Hardman." Dr. Cullen asked the clearly stunned nanny. She left, speechless.

As soon as she closed the door I asked a little too quickly, "Are you vampires?"

I don't know why I did it, it just slipped out. I shouldn't have done it without any proof! Now – if they were human – they would think I was mentally unstable!

Their beautiful faces turned into shocked expressions. We sat there for a few minutes, staring at each other.

The man, Dr. Cullen, looked down at my leg and noticing how all my bruises were gone, asked, "Are you?"

I thought about the answer for a few second. _Should I tell them the truth? It wasn't noticeable in my case. Could they know?_

"Only half." I decided to be truthful. I studied their eyes carefully. "My mom was a human who fell in love with a vampire. And she got pregnant."

"That is impossible! Vampires _can not_ have children!" the wife spoke for the first time in a soft, melodic voice full of doubt. Her face betrayed many emotions, like loss and shock and disbelief.

"But, Esme... Calm down." Dr. Cullen paused. "There was a case like this one a long time ago, before I was born. Aro told me about it." I winced when he mentioned the ancient vampire.

"A human girl claimed to be carrying a vampire's baby. Of course, the Volturi thought it was ridiculous and ignored her. But when the baby was born, they realized what a mistake they had made. The woman died, because the child was too strong for her. The child is still alive, although it changed into a vampire a couple of years after its birth. Aro bit him, so he could see if he had any gifts. He is a part of the Volturi guard now, Phillip. I had never met him, but Aro assured me that he is very loyal.

"They had researched the topic of vampire babies, but never learned anything. It is still an enigma, even today!"

He looked deep in thought, but then addressed me again, "What happened to your parents, Stella?"

I could not afford to talk about it now, it was too painful.

"The Volturi…" I whispered.

"Do you have any gifts?"

_Gifts?_ If he thought about my powers, he was very mistaken. I would never call them gifts! They only made my life harder.

"Two." I said. He looked at me incredulously. "I can control aging, which is useless. My other power is reading minds. It doesn't work always. It happened today, while I was walking down the stairs. I heard you," I pointed at him, "and that is why I tripped."

"Just like Edward…" Dr. Cullen said in awe.

It was so easy to speak with them, like I didn't need to hide anything. I have never felt so comfortable around humans, except for my mother.

Esme spoke again, asking, "Stella, would you excuse us for a second? We have to talk." She pulled the doctor out of the room and I waited.

When they came back, I noticed that Esme was grinning at me. It wasn't like the polite smile before; it reminded me of my mother's warm one.

"Stella." She spoke slowly. "We live in Forks, WA. The other members of our family are also vampires. They are Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice. Would you like to be a member of our family?"

_Whoa_… That was unexpected... and blunt.

"Would _I_… like to be… a member of _your_ family?" I repeated, sounding out every word skeptically. She nodded.

"_Oh, I hope she accepts…"_ my power was working again as I heard Esme's thoughts. Was it getting stronger in the company of vampires? I had never heard so much like that day. _"I already think of her as my daughter. And she would be a great mate for Edward…"_

"For Edward?" I asked Esme who already seemed to have plans for my future.

She seemed shocked that I heard her, but ignored my question and said, "The kids would also love to have another sister. We will adopt you if you like."

_Were they serious?_ I thought and stared at them for a long time_. How would I live with a family of vampires? _I didn't know what to say. _Could I really believe them to take care of me? Not that I needed to be taken care of... They both seemed so sincere and eager to have me with them. For all I heard, their thoughts were only good ones, so were they dangerous? _

"Yes… I would love to be a part of your family." I whispered cautiously.

Both of them stood up almost instantly and hugged me.

"Let's fill in those papers." Carlisle said.

Esme's smile was now so wide, that I couldn't help it but be happy, too.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

2. Welcome Home!

The flight to Seattle was relatively short, but I still slept through it. I have always hated flying, but this time I didn't mind. I thought about my Mom and what she would think of my new, rainy hometown of Forks. I tried to imagine the other Cullens – but with not much luck.

Alice, Edward and Jasper had special 'gifts'. Edward could read minds – like me, but for him it works all the time.

Alice could see the future and Jasper could control a person's emotions.

Emmett was the strongest one and his wife, Rosalie the prettiest one.

Apparently, I didn't smell human or vampire to them, maybe a mix, so there would be no danger for me when I stayed.

* * *

While we were driving to Forks, I asked Carlisle how he controlled the bloodlust, since he was a doctor.

"I trained for many centuries, until I finally perfected it." He spoke with such pride.

"You should know that my family and me, we are…vegetarians." He chuckled like it was some kind of a family joke. "We don't eat humans. We go hunting every second week and usually find some animals up on the mountain."

"Why would you do that?" I was so confused.

"Well, when we first came here, we didn't know what _other_ creatures roamed the woods around Forks. We were met by a pack of werewolves." He paused, probably wondering if I knew about the wolves. I did my homework on mythological creatures and told him so.

He continued, "They wanted to fight. But my family and I are rather civilized. We didn't want war.

"Their chief, Ephraim Black and I made a treaty. Nobody from our coven couldn't – or can't – go to La Push, their territory or bite a human. They couldn't tell humans about our existence.

"Nobody would be hurt. We then made a boundary line, which no Cullen can cross. But Forks is Switzerland, neutral. Both our kinds can visit it." He stopped waiting for my reaction.

"So…I can't go to La Push, right?"

"Oh, you could. You are still half human. But I advise you not to, since you are a Cullen, too."

_Wow. I am a Cullen._ I never realized it until then, but I loved the idea of finally having a family again.

"Are there any werewolves in La Push now?"

"Hmm. Not that we know of. They have no reason to phase, because we proved trustworthy." He stopped. "Okay… We are here!"

We stepped out of Carlisle's black Mercedes. I saw a huge house – a mansion – surrounded by trees.

Esme hugged me while calling the others: "Edward! Alice! Jasper! Rosalie! Emmett! We are here."

In less than a second, they were all in front of me. I saw the faces of my new family.

Edward was beautiful, with perfect features and messy auburn hair. He had beautiful eyes, as the rest of them, but his were pitch black with dark circles around them. He was obviously very hungry. He looked at me with a confused expression on his face.

Jasper and Alice - I think - were standing next to him, hand in hand.

Jasper was as tall Edward. He had blonde hair and butterscotch eyes.

Alice was very short with spiky black hair. They had obviously fed before I came. She looked very… satisfied. She was almost jumping up and down from happiness.

Beside them was another couple, Emmett and Rosalie, I guessed.

Emmett was bigger and more muscular than anyone in the family, with slightly curly brown hair.

Rosalie, the pale blond and the only one whose beauty stunned me, was smiling at me, but I doubt it was sincere.

"Hello, Stella!" Alice almost danced over to my side to hug me, catching me by surprise. Jasper followed after her, shaking my hand.

Emmett was the next one to greet me.

"What's up?" He said in a deep voice and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Can't…Breathe!" I gasped and he let me go, laughing a booming laugh.

Rosalie came over and squeezed me awkwardly.

Edward - the one Esme thought should be my mate – hugged me with a short "Hi". He let go right away.

"So…" Carlisle walked over to my side and put his arm around me.

"Welcome home!" I threw him a tight smile that made him chuckle.

* * *

Once inside, Edward led me up the stairs to my room. It was very spacious. It was painted white and had many windows, which looked out at the distant mountains. It had a TV, a desk, a sofa and some beautiful paintings.

"But…" I looked at Edward confused. "Where am I going to sleep?"

While I was saying that, Carlisle showed up beside me. "We are getting the bed today. The kids didn't have time to get everything ready…" He looked at Edward's confused face. "And they didn't know you slept…" He hesitated. "Do you eat too?"

"Yes... Sometimes I don't have to, but more often I do. Same with sleeping."

"Food or blood?" He asked timidly.

"Food!" How could he even think that I drank blood? I thought it was disgusting.

"Sorry, I had to ask. Why didn't you tell us that you ate?"

"Um… I kind of thought it was obvious…" _Obvious?! They are freaking vampires… How could they know?! _I thought.

"Alright. We are going to need to get some food. Edward, won't you take her to the grocery store?" He left without waiting for an answer.

Edward turned to look at me, still with the shocked expression on his face – _come on, it can't be that hard to believe I ate and slept_ – and said, "I can't hear your thoughts."

So that's what he was so shocked about!

"Really?" He was getting frustrated, I could feel it. "My dad had the same power, but couldn't read my mom… Maybe it's the genes."

"The same power? Huh…" He paused and made a face. "Can you read me?" He questioned. He already knew about my powers, or as Carlisle called them - gifts.

"I don't know. My power just comes and goes… But if I really concentrated, I probably could."

"Can you run as fast as us?" _Man, what's with the fifth degree? _

"Uh… Yeah."

"Follow me!" He ran off outside. _Where are we going now?_ I was starting to get tired. I ran and found him standing in front of a silver Volvo.

He grinned, in a charming crooked way and said, "That was just a test. Get in."

* * *

We haven't spoken since we left, but when we did, it left me thinking.

"You know Esme wants us to be together?" He asked in his velvet voice.

"Yeah." I was feeling very uncomfortable.

"Uh… I don't think I could… feel about you that way." He paused and looked at my expression. "I mean, you _are_ beautiful, very beautiful! But, I just…"

I stopped him with a relieved sigh and spoke, "It's okay, Edward. Really! I don't feel that way about you either. I am so glad you aren't in love with me!"

He laughed. "It's nice to have another sister." He said and our conversation was over.

_Was it true that I didn't fall in love with him? I loved his voice and the way he smiles, all in all, he is very handsome. But would I really ever love him? _I contemplated in my mind. _No... No, I couldn't. He is my big brother now and nothing else. _

* * *

"We're here!" He informed me. That was very fast. Well of course, since he drove like a maniac!

In the store, I noticed everybody staring at me.

"What are they thinking about?" I asked Edward.

"They are just noticing you are as beautiful as the rest of us. That girl is Jessica Stanley." He pointed at a strawberry blonde next to the cashier. She was undoubtedly a cheerleader. "She loved me ever since she met me! It is very disturbing to listen to her thought!!"

I laughed and he continued, "She is thinking how the guys will be all over you on your first day."

Then I noticed a tall guy with russet skin and long, black hair pulled into a ponytail. He wasn't staring at me like the others, but he definitely noticed me.

"Who is that?" I asked Edward.

"Jacob Black, from La Push. He'll probably go to class with you. Right now, he is thinking about the way you walk."

"Walk?" _Wow._ Guys always looked at my face or more likely curves, but never the way I _walk_.

"Yeah. He also likes your hair, the color. That's all he can see anyway."

I looked at him some more and my eyes met his. They were dark brown and very deep. I almost got locked in his gaze, but Edward interrupted me.

"What are we buying? I'm not very good at grocery shopping."

"Right…"

* * *

We ended up with some vegetables and meat. The whole time we were there, I couldn't help but look Jacob's way. I am pretty sure he noticed me, but I didn't really care.

"I think Esme is a bad cook. She hasn't cooked in a long time. You are going to have to do it all yourself." Edward warned me, while driving home and added, "Don't tell her I said that, though!"


	4. Chapter 4

**3. First Day**

Alice, Jasper, Edward and I were all seated in Edward's car. My thoughts were spread over many different topics, but mostly school. _Are the kids here nice and welcoming? Is it going to be strange starting in October? Are there any cute guys in my class?_

"Hey! Cut it out!" Jasper suddenly yelled at me.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Don't be so nervous! If you're nervous, then I am too. And if I'm nervous, then _everybody_ is!!"

"Sorry." It was all I could manage to say before we pulled up into the Forks High School parking lot. We were the first there.

The school wasn't very big. It probably had about 300 students or maybe less. My school in Los Angeles had many more. It was a private school, in Newport, where all the snotty rich kids go. My mom insisted I go there, too, because the education there is the best. I didn't really think so. It was probably better in a public school.

Emmett and Rosalie chose to be seniors this year, Jasper, Alice and Edward were juniors and I was a freshman, suiting my 'young age of 15'.

* * *

I went to the secretary to get my schedule and a school map. Emmett and Rose and Jasper and Alice were already off to their classes.

When it was time for Edward to go too, he hugged me, brotherly, and said, "Good Luck."

"Right… You too!" I whispered.

As I entered the classroom, I thought about my luck in the past few years and realized that good luck was impossible in this situation.

The teacher introduced me and sent me to sit in the only empty seat. I recognized the person next to me as Jacob Black 'The Boy Who Liked My Walk'.

"Hi, I'm Jacob Black." He said offering his hand.

I shook it saying, "Stella Cullen, nice to meet you."

The teacher began talking, so I couldn't say anything else to him. I really needed my mind reading power then! I needed to know what Jacob thought about me. I caught him either looking at me admirably or turning away from me – realizing I had caught him – through the whole class.

* * *

The next period was English and I found the room easily. Jacob wasn't in my class, unfortunately.

After, I had Biology. I was desperate, because I couldn't find the room.

"You lost?" I heard a husky voice ask from behind me. I turned around and saw it was Jacob.

"Is it that obvious?"

"No…" He replied sarcastically. "What's your next class?"

"Biology."

"Really? Me too. I'll walk you there."

I headed down the right corridor, but he said, "Actually, it's the other way."

I blushed, embarrassed and he chuckled.

"You know, there are only two open seats. One beside Jessica Stanley, the most popular girl at school and one by me, the incredibly cute guy who helped you survive your first day at Forks High." He was pretty confident talking about himself that way. Or was it cocky? I think I'll like the "extremely cute guy".

"I guess I'm going to have to meet this Jessica." I teased.

"Aww!" He said and made an adorable puppy dog face.

"Oh, alright… I'll sit next to you."

He grinned and I saw his beautiful smile, which made his deep, brown eyes sparkle. I had to grin too, but knew that my smile was nothing compared to his.

* * *

All my other classes were without Jacob, so I couldn't wait until lunch. I was hoping he would invite me to sit with him. But my hopes went down, when I saw Alice and Jasper. I really wanted to sit with Jacob, but I also wanted to sit with the Cullens, my new family.

I ran up to Alice and hugged her. She was surprised, but returned the hug.

"You're pretty happy. Good day, huh?" Jasper said.

"Yeah…" I hesitated and whispered to Alice, knowing that he would hear. "I met a boy…"

Alice squealed, but her expression changed. "Wait, what about Edward? Aren't you two together?"

"So you're saying you didn't see I would meet Jacob?" I laughed. I thought she already knew, because of her gift.

"No… I… I thought you and Edward were… you know… you spend all your time with him… I guess I just wasn't looking…" She seemed disappointed.

"It's okay, Alice." I tried to make her feel better. "Edward and I agreed to be just friends. We don't have any other feelings."

"That's right." Edward said while walking into the cafeteria. We were standing in line getting the prop food, which he and the others would throw away after lunch.

"My lil sis is in love, isn't that cute?" Jasper said and Edward laughed.

"What's so funny?" Emmett asked while he and Rosalie stepped into the line after us.

"Stella's in loove!" Jasper made a mushy face and headed towards the tables.

"Idiot! Why do you have to be such a boy?" I smacked him at the back of his head and he faked a hurt expression. Wasn't he more than a hundred years old? It was time for him to grow up!

"Stupid invincible vampires!" I muttered. "I just met him…"

Emmett laughed his booming laugh and we headed towards a table.

I sat down across from Edward, hoping to see Jacob on the other side of the cafeteria. He was sitting with three guys and a girl I recognized as Angela Weber from Math and English. I guessed that the guy next to him was telling a joke, because everybody laughed. He had darker skin than Jacob and shorter hair. He seemed to be as tall as him.

I noticed Jessica Stanley standing up and walking over to our table. She sat down next to Edward.

"Hi, Eddie!" She flirted and sat down beside him._ Eddie?!_

"Hello…" He said waiting for a name.

"Jessica." She said clearly annoyed by the fact that he pretended not to know her.

"Hello, Jessica. How may I help you?" I could hear Alice and Jazz snickering when Jazz told her how frustrated Edward was knowing what she wanted to ask.

"I was, like hoping that you would, like go to the, like Girls Choice dance with me, like this year." Jessica said obviously overly confident that he would say yes. _How many times can you say 'like' in a sentence?! _I thought.

"I'm sorry, Jessica." He replied. _Always a gentleman_, Esme said. "I already have a date." _He does?_

"Oh, well, you can, like dump her and go with, like me. That's, like easy, right?"

_Wow_, I mouthed to Rosalie who seemed to begetting used to the idea of a new sister by now. She smiled and continued to listen to the crazy girl talk.

"I'm sorry but I really can't go with you. I don't _want_ to go with you" Edward said politely, but I could sense his temper flaring.

Jessica's smile disappeared. "Well… I…" She stuttered, burst into tears and ran out of the cafeteria.

I eyed Jasper suspiciously, knowing that he had something to do with the sudden 'Overly Emotional' Jessica.

"What? I just gave those tears a tiny push." He was so weird that day… So strangely immature.

"So who are you taking to the dance, Edward?" Alice asked. "Who's the mystery girl?"

"You'll see soon…"

Alice wanted to ask more, but I saved him by asking, "When is the dance anyway?" I hadn't heard anything about it.

"Next month, first week." Rose said.

"Isn't the Halloween dance earlier?"

"No. The school has a policy against it, because of an accident with the costumes."

"So who am I supposed to take to the dance?"

"You could ask your Jakey!" Emmet teased. I shot him a death glare and started to say something, but the bell rang.

"Oh wow! Saved by the bell!" Rose joked and the whole family headed to class.

* * *

At the end of the day, I realized I didn't have any other classes with Jacob today. I hoped I would tomorrow and headed for the parking lot.

* * *

_A tiny delicate girl was approaching another person – a male - and asking how they should do it._

"_Jane, you know the drill! Torture her until she begs to die, of course." The male said._

"_Alec, dear, how I love your evil plans!" She placed her mouth on his and turned around to face a third person. _

_Jane shot the person a glare and she started screaming. She turned to me and I realized it was my mother. Her beautiful features were twisting in pain and her eyes were turning darker with every second._

_The screams suddenly stopped and my mom lay looking at Jane with pleading eyes. She was trying to say something, but couldn't move._

"_Oh, Jane. This one is strong. Better try it once more." Alec said, amused. _

_Pain flashed across my mother's eyes again, but this time even harder. _

_I looked deep into them and I could see my face. _

_Jane glared at her again and the screaming resumed. _

_The earth started shaking. I didn't know what was happening until I heard my name._

* * *

"Stella!" Someone called out in a worried voice. "Stella, wake up!"

I opened my eyes and felt Edward's cold, strong arms around my body. I was away from the horrible nightmare.

"Jane tortured her…" I babbled. "Her eyes…"

"It's okay, Stella. You are back now. We will take care of you. Don't worry. It's okay." He kept trying to console me.

I didn't realize that the whole family was in the room, until Jasper sent waves of calm across my body. I finally relaxed and told them all about my dream.

When I finished, I fell into a dreamless sleep until the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

****

4. Intertwined

In the morning I tried not to think of the dream as I was getting ready for school. I still remembered it clearly even though I dreamt about it three weeks ago.

It was going well at school now – for me, thanks to Jacob.

Jessica was still bugging Edward about the dance.

Emmet and Rosalie 'camping' for a few days, since they already went to high school before.

"It gets old…" Emmett complained. He was like a big cuddly teddy bear. He was always happy, no matter what and always protective, _no matter what_. He loves to tease the rest of us, although I'm usually the topic of his jokes.

Alice and Jasper were arguing about the dance, because Jasper didn't want to go.

"Alice, we have been through this a thousand times before! We are _not_ going to the dance!" Jasper was getting mad.

"Please, Jazzy?" She looked at him expectantly and placed her forehead against his – with much effort since he was too tall for her.

"If I promise to go to the Prom with you, do you promise to stop insisting for me to go to the dances for the rest of the school year?" He surrendered way too fast! They had the whole eternity together; he will have to go to a dance one day, just not now. I didn't want to be the only Cullen not going! _This is going to suck!_

"Oh, wow, Jazz! This is your first Prom! We gotta go shopping for a suit!" She was back to her old bubbly self.

Jasper noticed me watching them from the other side of the hallway and rushed towards me.

"Stella will go shopping with you, won't you, Stella?" He said and whispered in my ear, "Just keep her away from me until you are finished!"

Alice heard it – of course – and stuck her tongue out at him. He smiled and sent her a kiss.

"He is so stubborn sometimes!" She told me. "So who are you…" She stopped and her eyes glazed over, which usually meant she was having a vision. She turned her eyes back to me, with a surprised expression and danced away.

"What did you see?" I yelled after her. "Come on, Alice!" My eyes roamed the hallway for my pixie sister.

"She's gone, Stella." I turned to see who said that and saw Jacob leaning against my locker.

I had many classes with him now, so we have gotten to know each other pretty well.

I loved sitting beside him. He always stared at me while in class. When I caught him looking, he quickly turned away and smiled. I hoped that is because he liked me. I loved the way he grinned at me and it always made me happy to see him satisfied. His grin was just contagious! I couldn't stop thinking about him!

"Captain Jacob calling _bella_ Stella back to Earth!" _Did he just call me 'beautiful'? Uh-huh. Bella is Italian for beautiful, isn't it?_ My stomach always jumped when I saw him. I had so many daydreams about him, it wasn't even funny anymore!

"Hey Jake, how are you?"

"I'm great! How are you?" He grinned my favorite grin.

"I'm perfect!" And I was, standing next to him, hearing his perfect voice seeing his perfect features…"What brings you here?"

"This is my locker." He said as though it was obvious.

"No, it's not. Your locker is on the other end of the school, remember?"

"No. I moved it here today."

"Why?" Why would he move his locker next to mine? The other hallway was much better and much less crowded.

"I like this hall better. The windows are nice… Lots of light…" He said quietly. He started playing with one the brown ringlets sticking out from my ponytail. He was making it bounce up and down repeatedly and grinning as it obeyed him. Oh My God! Could this get any better?!

"_If only she knew," _I was hearing his thoughts. _"I moved it so I could be closer to her!" _Could _this_ get any better?!

"Are you sure it wasn't because of me?" I asked in my most flirty voice.

"Might have had something to do with it… But no… I really do like the light." He said in a playful tone. I was blushing. The bell rang.

"Let's go." He said and offered me his hand.

I looked down and took it. Our hands looked perfect together. His huge one against my small one. His warm one against my cold one. Who knew they would fit so well together?

Our fingers intertwined and I blushed again.

He grinned and said, "I love that color on you."

I looked up at him and blushed even deeper.

"So…" He seemed to have something important on his mind. But he couldn't say it.

"Uh… Would you…um…" It was strange seeing him at a loss of words.

"Would... you... liketogotothemovieswithme?" He said it so quickly that I barely understood.

But I had practice, living with vampires, so I whispered nervously,

"Yes." I looked down at my feet.

"Really?!" He lifted up my chin so he could look into my eyes. He was trying to find a trace of doubt. When he didn't, he squeezed my hand harder and we walked to class.

* * *

The next period was lunch, so Jacob and I walked together, hands intertwined again.

"Wanna sit with me?" He asked, undoubtedly knowing my answer.

"Yes." I said anyway as we neared a table.

I could feel everyone's eyes burning our hands with hateful glares. What did we ever do to them?!

Only my family seemed glad.

"He actually likes her. Cute…" I could hear Edward saying. My vampire senses were improving. I could hear my brother's low voice across a crowded cafeteria.

"Yes... Just adorable..." Emmett cooed. He was probably trying to think of a way to use this against me. Oh, the constant teasing awaiting. I could almost feel a smirk forming on his face!

Jacob pulled out a chair for me and waited until I sat down.

"Thanks." I mumbled. I was blushing again.

He grinned and sat across from me.

"So when should I…" He stopped abruptly and glared at the Cullens' table.

"Damn! I can't pick you up." He said sounding a little worried.

"Why not?" I asked not catching the meaning behind the glare.

"Well… My dad won't let me… It's just stupid superstitions." _Oh…_ He was talking about the werewolf-vampire treaty. I knew that the Cullens couldn't go to La Push, but Jake _could_ go to our house.

"My dad doesn't want me near them…" He glared at the other Cullens again. "I'm sorry." He seemed really disappointed.

"Jake, we could just meet in front of the theatre, right?"

"Uh… guess so. We'll meet at 7:30 this Friday." He was smiling again. _Glad to know I can make him smile that adorable smile._ I thought.

"Sounds good."

We sat there looking at each other. I was definitely lost in his eyes. The way he looked at me, with so much love and care, stunned me. His warm hands cradled mine.

"Do you want to know exactly why I can't come?" He asked suddenly.

_I already do! _I thought.

"Tell me." I couldn't let him in on the secret. I just couldn't tell him the truth about my family and myself. It wasn't entirely my secret to tell and I didn't want to put Jacob in danger by doing so.

"Hmm… Where to start?" He grinned again. "There's this… bonfire tonight. They'll be talking about the legends. Wanna come?" He waited for an answer. "It won't be like a date or anything. That's for Friday. We could just hang out. You could meet my friends…" He pouted.

He obviously thought I didn't want to come. But that was so far from the truth. I wanted to spend every minute of the day with him. I needed to be with him more!

"Yes, I do want to come! But I'm a Cullen, remember?" I was still part human, so it shouldn't matter!

"Well, I'm sure that the elders would let you come. You were invited!"

I wasn't so convinced.

"Do you want me to call my dad to check?"

"Yes."

He stood up and dialed the number on his cell.

"Hey, dad!" I heard a low rumble from the other side of the line.

"I was wondering if I could bring someone over for the bonfire tonight."

"_Sure, Jake… Who?" _His dad asked.

"A friend. Stella."

"_Stella who?"_

"Stella Cullen. She's a _very_ good friend." He brushed my cheek and I, of course, blushed.

"_Jacob you know that we don't allow leeches on our land!"_ The deep voice thundered. Did he just say leeches?! I heard a chair fall to the ground and turned around. I noticed Edward storming out of the room. _Did he hear the conversation? Stupid vampire hearing!_

"She's not a…"

"_I don't want you hanging out with her!"_ His dad interrupted. I could hear the disgust in his voice. _"I don't want you to have any contact with them!! Is that clear?!"_

"Dad…" Jacob's face fell.

"_Is…That…Clear?!"_

"Yes, sir!" He said in a mocking tone and hung up. He waited a few minutes before speaking.

"Sorry, he's not allowing it…" He wondered off in thought. "I don't know why he believes in that stuff! I mean it's not like cold ones exist!" He was so disappointed, again. _If only you knew…_ I caught myself thinking.

"'S okay, Jake. I understand."

It took him a moment to do so, but he grinned and started playing with my hair again.

* * *

After the last period, I found my family waiting for me at the school doors.

We walked in silence for a few minutes and Edward was the first to speak, or rather scream.

"What was that?!"

"What?" I looked at him innocently. I actually didn't know what he meant.

"You were about to break the treaty!!" Jasper yelled, obviously overcome by the others' emotions. People turned to stare at us.

"I had it under control! Gosh…" I turned to walk towards Edward's car, but Emmett stopped me.

"Under control?!" His deep voice scared me. "You could have started a terrible war and all of us would be…"

"Shut up, Emmett!" Rosalie cut him off. "I'm sure she knew what she was doing. She said she had it under control. Let her explain!" Rosalie standing up for me? Highly unusual.

"Um… Thanks, Rose." I started defending myself. "I knew his dad would say no. I knew he would never let a Cullen near La Push, since he didn't want Jacob anywhere near us. I couldn't have said no to Jake. He would think I didn't want to hang out with him." _And that puppy dog face he does is simply irresistible_, I wanted to say, but didn't.

"Right. Now leave her alone boys! She's smart. She can take care of herself." Alice told the guys and smiled at me. At least the girls were on my side…

* * *

During the ride home, I refused to sit next to Edward. I was seated next to Jasper instead.

Halfway home, he hugged me and whispered into my ear. "I'm sorry. He made me do it." He pointed at Edward. "He was just too angry."

I knew that. He didn't do anything wrong. Out of all the guys, Jasper was the most reasonable one.

I hugged him back and said, "It's okay, Jazz. Let's just hope he doesn't tell Carlisle or Esme about this or I'm dead!"

He grinned and we both averted our gazes at Edward who was focusing on the road.

Even though I was angry with him for doubting I couldn't handle stuff like this, I knew I had to apologize. _Oh yay!_ _That should be fun…_


	6. Chapter 6

**5. A New One**

Edward left the car the moment we arrived and up to his room to read. He was probably still angry at me.

"Jasper, what is he feeling now?" I asked my brother. It was amazing how fast they all accepted me into the family, even Rose.

"He is…disappointed." He answered.

Emmet approached me and said, "You should go talk to him. I'm sure he'll forgive you."

"Do you?" I asked afraid of his answer. Seeing as he still had the tough expression on his face, I doubted he had.

"Yes! I'm sure Edward's only disappointed that you chose Jakey instead of him." He grinned.

Nope, that was definitely not it.

* * *

_Knock, knock._

Nothing.

_Knock, knock._

Still nothing.

"Edward, would you please let me in?"

Nothing, again.

I opened the door and stepped inside. He was sitting on his sofa, reading. I didn't know what to say. How do you apologize to someone whose life you have just endangered terribly? _Just start talking._

"Edward, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I _wasn't _thinking. Please, Edward." He still didn't look up from the book, which I noticed was _Wuthering Heights_. Was he punishing himself for something? He hated that book!

"Look, I know you are disappointed. I know you just about hate me right now." _It hurt saying that._ "Just look at me. I can't stand it. Please forgive me."

He met my eyes for the first time since school. He had a different look on his face. Not like he was angry, but… sorry? He stood up and hugged me.

"Oh, Stella…" He whispered. I was confused. _Wasn't he supposed to yell at me or something?_ I thought.

He let me go and said, "I'm sorry I was angry." _Pissed._ "I was just thinking about the dangers you put us all in. Especially yourself. Can you imagine a war?! Between vampires and werewolves, you would be the most vulnerable." This was not what I expected. But I guess you can never know with Edward. "You're just human, you know." He added in a matter-of-factly voice.

"I'm sorry. Really sorry." I said sincerely.

He hugged me again. "I'll forgive you if you forgive me."

"Sure. Although there is nothing to forgive in your case…"

"Thanks." He grinned crookedly. "Now go away. I'm trying to read."

"_Wuthering Heights_? Really?!"

"It's good once you get into it…"

Such a good liar. He could never like that book. He criticized it at every opportunity.

* * *

"_Hello, Alexander, dear brother." I heard a voice greet a man standing in the middle of a large room. _

_It was crowded, but I couldn't see any of the people in it. They were covered with big black cloaks. _

"_Hello, Aro." The man said and turned towards the source of the voice. _

_I immediately recognized him from my mother's pictures. It was my father! What was he doing in the Volturi's castle? I tried to tell him to run, but nobody noticed me. _

_Two torches suddenly lit up and I saw two men holding them. Another three figures stepped forward from the dark and I assumed they were Aro, Marcus and Caius._

"_What do I owe this visit to?" Aro said politely. His face was hooded so I couldn't see anything but the shadows. _

"_I have come to ask for a place in your coven again. I apologize for the way I left last time, but I assure you that I have changed. My gift is stronger now and I presume it would be very useful to you." My dad said. Did all the vampires call their powers 'gifts' or was it just the vegetarians? And what did he mean by joining the Volturi "again"? Was he one of them before he met mom? _

"_Why would you want that?" Aro chuckled lightly. "Don't get me wrong, brother, it would be simply delightful to be in our family again as a part of our guard or even as a leader again. But you must have a good reason." _

_All the vampires shifted and some expressed their disgust with words like 'thief' or 'human lover'. _

"_Aro…" A man I assumed was Marcus or Caius said cautiously. "I would not be_ delighted_," he spat out the word with disgust, "to have this thief here in our coven! He could steal our abilities!" What was he talking about? My father stole gifts from vampires? Impossible! _

"_Caius, calm down." Aro said and turned towards my father again. _

"_May I?" He asked and extended his hand. He was trying to read his thoughts. But he would find out about mom! NO!_

_My father stepped closer and touched Aro's palm lightly. He saw everything. From dad's first victim – a deer – to the first kiss he and mom shared. Aro saw the way my mom smiled warmly, the way her deep green eyes sparkled when she saw dad and the way her eyes filled with tears as dad left her. Aro moved away._

"_You told a _human_ of our existence?!" The polite mask was off his face and now a furious one was replacing it. My father stepped back in surprise._

"_Why?" Aro asked trying to calm down._

_Dad was obviously in pain. He knew what would happen next. "I loved her!" He exclaimed. "I trusted… _Trust_ her. She won't tell anyone, I swear!" _

_Aro looked at him with pity. "I am truly sorry, my brother. You do realize that we have to get rid of her, don't you?"_

"_No!! Kill me if you must, just don't touch her! She is what makes me whole! She is my mate! You know how much it hurts if your soul mate dies?" He turned to Marcus, whose bored expression was now twisting in pain and shock…_

"_Remember how it was when they killed Didyme? I was there. I saw what it did to you. You can't do this!!" He was on his knees looking at all three of his so called "brothers" with a pleading expression._

"_Yes we can. I am sorry, friend. We have to get rid of her." Aro said putting a calming hand on dad's shoulder. It was final. The decision could not be changed anymore._

_I looked back at my father, who was now lying on the ground looking broken. It hurt just to see him that way. He twitched and a small drop of red rolled down his cheek._

"_NO!" I screamed. "You can't give up!" Why weren't they listening to me?!_

"_NO!!"_

* * *

"NO!!" I jerked back and opened my eyes. I was in Carlisle's arms. I kept screaming. I couldn't get rid of my father's pained look as much as I wanted to.

"Jasper." Carlisle said and carried me into Jasper's arms. He was trying to calm me down. I resisted and tried to manage my own emotions. We sat there for many hours, until I was finally able to talk.

"Carlisle." I started. "Why is this happening to me? Why do I keep having these dreams?"

"What did you see, Stella? Please tell me." He begged, his voice worried.

I told him every detail of my dream, although it hurt immensely.

"Do you think it had really happened?" Carlisle said curiously.

"Yes. It was so real. It's like a memory, although I was never there. The same thing happened when I dreamt about Jane torturing mom," I winced. "I… What's wrong with me?" I panicked. Jasper tried soothing me, but I repelled.

"Maybe…" Carlisle was deep in thought. Obviously he had a theory. "You could be getting another gift. You could be seeing the past, like Alice sees the future. We will have to see what happens overtime."

"A new one?" I gulped.

"Yes." He turned to me and saw my uneasy expression. "But don't worry about it. You said your father was Alexander… I have heard about him. He was one of the strongest vampires of all time. He could mimic any ability he wanted."

So Caius was telling the truth… "My dad _did_ steal powers?" I asked him trying to grasp the news.

"No, no. Far from it. It was actually done subconsciously. Whenever he felt or saw a gift used at large, he would just… remember it."

"Why did he say he wanted to join them _again_?"

"Stella... Maybe you should go to sleep."

"No. Tell me now!"

He sighed. "Alexander was Aro's real, blood brother when they were human. They went through everything together. They had their own little coven which was soon joined by Marcus and then Caius. They were all very talented and they knew they were powerful. They had a goal: to rule the vampire world. And they did it.

"Your father didn't approve of the Volturi's diet and the fact that they killed vampires just for telling the truth. He left them and I don't think Aro ever truly forgave him. When Aro heard about your mother, he had to follow his laws. Then Alexander begged him to kill him after her and Aro tried everything to make him change his mind.

"Your father went off on his own again and nobody has found him yet." He stopped, waiting for my reaction.

"So he could be... alive?" I whispered.

He gave me a sympathetic look. "Stella, it is terrible to lose a mate. You saw his reaction. I wouldn't be surprised if he killed himself the moment he left Volterra."

Of course. _At least now I know that he really did love my mom. _I thought. _But he is gone, right?_ I left that question linger at the back of my mind, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

Carlisle gave me a hug and turned towards the door.

"I am sorry, Stella. I wish I could tell you something else... But that is the truth.

"Go back to sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow."

I tried to think of everything I had found out that night, but it was so overwhelming I just fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**6. The Date**

It was finally Friday, the day of my date. Alice had already bought me an outfit saying it was more fun to shop with me than Rose. I never found out why, because she quickly started throwing clothes at me to try.

We were at home, trying to get me ready. Alice was working on my hair for hours, trying to get all the brown ringlets to straighten. It wasn't working so I was left with wavy hair.

"We need to get you as sexy as we can!" She said while deciding which lip gloss to put on me.

When she was finally finished with everything, I looked in the mirror. I was actually pretty decent thanks to Alice's magical make-up skills. Hell, I could almost pass as a vampire!

* * *

Alice drove me to the theatre in her yellow Porsche, all the while bouncing up and down happily.

"Have fun!" She squealed as she watched me go in. _What if I do or say something wrong?_ I thought nervously.

"It'll all be fine! I can see it." She said tapping her finger on her temple. _Right… Fortune teller… _

I walked in through the brown doors and looked for Jacob.

"Stella…" I felt a hot hand on my shoulder. It was him. I greeted him with a hug and an irresistible grin spread across his face. If he wasn't holding me right then I was sure my knees would have given out.

He took my hand and asked, "What do you want to watch? It's Halloween so they're playing all the scary stuff."

The movies available were _Fangs 2_, _New Moon_ and _Vampire Revenge_.

"Let's go see _Vampire Revenge_. That sounds… interesting." I said. He chuckled and paid for the tickets.

"Oh no! I am paying for myself. I hate it when people spend money on me!"

"No. I invited you here so I'm supposed to pay." He protested.

"I don't think so. Just let me get my wallet." I reached into my purse but he stopped me.

"Stella, be reasonable. I already have my money out." He reached over the counter and paid.

"All right. But I'm buying the popcorn!"

* * *

The movie was _awful_. The vampires were trying to take over the world of 'unsuspecting humans'. Hollywood really does make everything so fake. They were turning into bats and sucking people dry with their fangs.

I wanted to laugh through the whole thing – and I almost did – but I took advantage of the 'scary' scenes to hide in Jake's embrace.

While the movie was beginning, he yawned and put him arm around me. It was the oldest trick in the book, but if I got to be closer with Jacob, I loved it! I leaned onto his chest.

When it was all over, he was wondering when Alice was picking me up.

"9:30." I said.

He gave out a sigh of relief and said, "Good. Then we have one more hour together. Let's go get something to eat."

The good thing about this theatre was that it had a couple of restaurants in it, too.

"Do you prefer Mexican, Thai or Italian?"

"I feel like… Italian right now."

We sat down in a private booth. The waitress was shamelessly flirting with Jake, although it was obvious that we were together from the way we held hands. It was getting really annoying, so I grabbed the menu and ordered the first thing that caught my eye, a serving of mushroom ravioli and shared it with Jacob.

"What did you think of the movie?" He asked.

_Hilarious_, I wanted to say. "Awful. Scary. I'm gonna have nightmares tonight." _Sure_, I thought. _And even if I did dream, it would have been about Jake_.

"It wasn't that bad. Think of the ending. Romantic, huh?"

"Right…" I said sarcastically. "It was very romantic how the vampire killed everybody in the world so no one would stand between him and his girlfriend." He looked at me a smile dancing on his face.

"Well at least they lived happily ever after." He took my hand again. As soon as he did so, my phone rang. I had to let go to get it.

"I'm sorry… Hello?"

"_You ready?"_ It was Edward.

"Not really. Not at all." I wanted to spend all my time with Jake, not go home.

"_You need to come, now. Carlisle has some news on your new gift and we've got guests."_

"What guests?"

"_Someone who knew Alexander."_ My dad? What does he have to do with my power? _"I'm coming to get you in five minutes."_

"Wait! Wha-" He hung up before I could ask any other questions.

I groaned and looked at Jake. "I have to go. Edward's picking me up." He was disappointed. We stood up and headed towards the parking lot.

"I had a really good time tonight." I said trying to break the silence.

"Me too." He said and wrapped his arms around my waist. My heart threatened to jump out of my chest. "So I guess I'm automatically your date for the dance too, right?"

"Of course." He grinned my favorite grin.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow!" He pointed at Edward's parked car and waved goodbye.

* * *

At home, there was a big meeting. The Cullens were all there, a redhead I supposed was from Denali – Alice said something about her visiting, she was Edward's mystery date for the dance - and six other vampires. They looked like the Volturi, but I couldn't be sure.

"What's this about?" I asked Carlisle and he showed me to sit down.

"I have called everybody here today for a meeting. We are going to discuss your new gift." He began speaking.

"As we all know, Stella is the daughter of Alexander, an ancient vampire. He used to be one of the strongest of our kind.

"Stella, do you know who all our guests are?" He asked.

"Um… not really…" Was it possible that the Volturi came to talk about my gift?

"This is Oona, from Denali." The redhead waved. "These are Aro, Marcus and Caius with Felix, Demetri and Afton, from Volterra."

Aro smiled a genuine smile - at least he tried to make it that; his sharp teeth made it almost impossible. Caius frowned and Marcus looked… bored. The other three didn't acknowledge me, well except for Felix, who smiled slyly. I thought of them as the Volturi's bodyguards and they probably were. They were dressed in modern clothes, trying to look normal, but you could hardly call them human. Their skin – showing only on their faces – was so pale, making it look translucent. Their eyes were ruby red and their lips a pale pink.

"I already explained to you that your father had the gift to mimic other vampire's gifts." Carlisle spoke again. "Sometimes he decided to keep some of them, like mind reading. Our theory," he looked at the Volturi and then back at me, "is that you have inherited some of the gifts he experienced. They will continue to grow as you get older." _Just what I needed! More freaky powers. _I thought.

"Do you remember when you got your first ability?" Aro addressed me for the first time. His voice was smooth and low. I shivered involuntarily. I didn't think he was trying to frighten me. Maybe even the opposite; with the way his eyes softened when he looked at me and the way he tried to keep his voice less intimidating. But just the thought of being in the same room as the Volturi made me... uncomfortable.

"My mom thought that I learned to control age since I was a baby, because I kept my goldfish alive for seven years and it was really sick. And I noticed I could read minds when I was six. I can her people more often now. More then before, anyway." I didn't tell them about my theory that the more time I spent with vampires, the more my powers grew.

"Edward," Aro spoke in his low tone, "you mentioned that you aren't able to read her mind."

"Yes." Edward answered.

"Interesting. I was wondering," his eyes flew around the room to meet mine as they became soft again, "if I could try. It should work." He extended his hand. I looked over at Carlisle for his approval and when he did nothing, I touched Aro.

His skin was so soft, it was like it wasn't even there. What kind of hand cream does a marble hard vampire use to get that level of silkiness?

He looked deep into my eyes. I tried to look away, but his gaze was impossible to break. He was concentrating so hard. If he was human, we would have all been rolling in sweat. He gave up.

"She has another ability that she doesn't know about." He said in a surprised tone. "She can block anyone from using her powers on her. A shield."

This was getting just a little bit crazy._ Why am I so exceptional?! Why do I have so many stupid powers I have never wanted?! _I was screaming at Aro in my head. _Oh yeah. Cause my daddy had to go around the world and steal other vampire's powers!! And to top it all off, he just had to keep them!_

"What about Alice and Jasper? They can use their gifts on me." I made a good point.

"Their powers are essentially physical." It was Carlisle who answered. Him I couldn't doubt.

"Alice can see a decision of yours, but it is still a bit… foggy."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me? Am I a blind spot for her?" I yelled panicked. So she didn't really see my date would go well and she didn't see what clothes I would pick. _So that is why it took so much time shopping!_ I thought she was just a huge shopaholic. _How did my thoughts suddenly take a Alice-likes-shopping course? My mind is weird..._ Anyway, if she didn't see me, then it would be harder to see the other Cullens. That could put them in danger!

"Calm down, Stella. We didn't want to worry you. And you are not a blind spot, just a little bit harder to see. She can't see all your decisions, just the ones that are about the family or are strongly influenced by one of us."

I stood there gaping at him.

"Right." He continued.

"Now Jasper's ability… You were able to stop Jasper from changing your emotions, but with a little bit of effort. It wasn't as natural as it is with Edward and Aro's gifts. Remember the night you had the dream about Alexander? You resisted. You didn't want to be calmed down."

_God, why did all of this have to make sense?! I hate my powers._

"It is entirely possible that shielding is one of your powers." He said in a dazed voice.

I looked around the room to see the vampires' reaction, but stopped at Edward, whose expression was almost the same as mine only more shocked.

"Okay. So what _if_ I do have that power? I don't care…" Aro wanted to say something, probably about how important it was for the vampire world, _blah, blah, blah_, but I didn't want to hear it. "What about the dreams? Am I still going to have them?"

"Yes." Carlisle said. "But only when you need them. When you need to find out the truth."

"I won't need them! _Ever!!_" I snapped. "I did not need to see how _Jane_," I spat out the word in disgust, "tortured my mother to death. I did not need to see how _they_," I pointed to the Volturi and glared, "decided to kill her for no reason!"

I turned for the door, but Edward stopped me.

"You did, Stella. You needed to move on and this is your way of dealing with everything." He said softly.

I took a minute to think about it. He was right. Dreams are how humans sort out their issues. My issues were just stronger I guess, so my dreams were memories. I did feel relieved when I finally found out how she died…

Everybody was quiet for some time, until Caius randomly asked. "Do you want to become a full-blooded vampire and join us?" _Very blunt, that man._

That… Was… Ugh.

"No. I do not want to be a _real _vampire!" I burst out. "Join you? As in _be a Volturi_? Hell no!"

"I'm sorry if that question has offended you, young Stella. It is completely your choice." Aro 'The Polite' Volturi said with a smile that was supposed to be soothing. "May I ask why?"

"Why?!" _Because I'm not ready to become a bloodsucking murderer who kills her own kind because of some stupid rules_, I wanted to say. Sure the Cullens were civilized – and I would never call them bloodsucking murderers– but it would take me years to learn self control. "I'm just… not ready yet." I said simply. _Not a good idea to offend the Volturi, right?_ Although, somehow, I doubted Aro would let them hurt me. He was my uncle, after all and he did love my father. Carlisle told me how he missed him after Alexander died. Of course, none of the other Volturi noticed. Carlisle was just _that _observant.

"Very well." Aro said after taking a minute to ponder about my answer in his head. He stood up and went around the table shaking everyone's hand.

"Thank you for inviting us to your home, Carlisle and Esme. Make sure you visit us in Volterra soon. It was nice meeting you, Stella. You are very much like your father. You have potential. If you change your decision, you know where to find us. You will always be welcome in Volterra."

He bowed slightly towards me with another smile and left with his 'family' following quietly behind.

* * *

I ran up to my room and listened to my iPod. I heard a knock on my door a few minutes later, but didn't answer.

Edward came in. "Stella, talk to me, please."

I turned off the music.

"What are you thinking?"

I broke down and cried in his arms. _Why the hell am I so hormonal?!_

"I don't want to wake up every night in cold sweat and tears! I don't want to see all that. I don't want the truth! It's just…not healthy." I babbled on. "I'll go mental!"

"Oh, Stella… It isn't going to happen every night. Only when you really need to know the truth." He tried comforting me. "Maybe you will dream of a happy memory tonight."

"Maybe…" I mumbled and thought, _or maybe not_.

He kissed my forehead.

I decided to ask him about Oona.

"Eddie, what's with you and Oona?" My voice had a slightly teasing edge to it - plus I called him Eddie - but I really did want to know.

"Don't call me that." He snapped. What the hell? Wasn't he there to make me feel better. I shot him a glare, so he answered.

"She's my date."

"Date? Is she your mate too or what?"

"Or what."

He said and walked out of the room.

So he didn't _love_ her but he was… attracted to her? That sounded about right. So what if they weren't mates? How many teens have so many relationships before finding 'the right one'?

Edward will find her. Eventually.

That night I dreaded going to sleep, but when I did, I didn't dream. Edward was right, as always...

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 6!  
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who read my story and/or reviewed.  
Tell me what you think about it so far! Tell me what you want me to fix or get rid of. Tell me what you think will happen next.  
And how can you do that? By REVIEWING of course!**

**Thanks!**

_**-Star**_


	8. Chapter 8

**7. Almost**

The next morning was Saturday.

Alice insisted on taking me shopping for a dress for the dance.

"You have to look beautiful for your Jacob!" She said.

Alice would use any excuse to go shopping. I had agreed to go – not because of her pout or the guilt trip she gave me, which would have worked soon enough - but because I was sure if she went alone, she would buy more than I would need anyway.

"Are you saying that I'm not beautiful now?" I teased.

"No, no… You look wonderful! We just have to make you… even more special." She said, obviously taking my comment seriously.

We shopped for an incredible amount of time - I finally relaxed when the mall closed, only to be dragged to another one by the hyper pixie - and I ended up with the perfect dress. I relied on Alice's ability to see the future to get me out of it faster, until I remembered I was almost a blind spot. So, I was forced to live through the ten hour torture.

My dress was very expensive. It was Alice's favourite designer, how could it not be? It was bunched up together at the bottom and came up mid-thigh and it really emphasized my 'beautiful emerald eyes' – as Alice had described them - by being the same shade as them.

She bought a dress too. I didn't know for what, since Jasper and her weren't going, but I guess she couldn't resist it. She promised Jazz she wasn't speaking with him for a week for missing the dance and that led to the loss of some bedroom 'activities' and a more-than-usually moody brother as well.

Rose and Emmett were going, as always, because Rose loved the attention. It's like she lived off of people admiring her beauty. Not that she was _always_ so selfish and pigheaded, she had some pretty selfless moments. I was sure the boys at the dance were all going to be drooling over her and Emmett would get pretty jealous. But not like girls weren't checking him out too, so they were even.

Edward was going with his contemporary boo, Oona. Apparently she just came to get a human experience, since she never went to a high school dance. Then she was going back to Alaska.

* * *

I was nervous the night of the dance. _Well, that was putting it mildly._ I thought. Jasper kept me somewhat calm until Edward and I left the house. He decided to drive me, since Jake couldn't pick me up.

I was eager to see Jacob; he had been sick for a few days and not going to school.

When we arrived to the tiny school gymnasium, Edward left me to go meet Oona.

I looked around and noticed a tall figure beside the punch bowl. Jake. _He made it!_

He looked so great in the black tux. He had grown a few inches since the last time I had seen him. _Just a teen growth spurt._ I thought as I approached him.

"Hey Jake!" I greeted.

He turned to look at me and glanced – well stared - up and down my body.

"Wow!" He exclaimed. "You look… wow!"

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." I was a little disappointed that all he could say was 'wow'.

He met my eyes and said, "You look absolutely stunning." His chocolate eyes were shining brightly at me.

_That was better._

"I have a gift for you." He said.

"What is it?" I asked warily. I liked gifts, but I didn't like people spending too much money on me.

He reached down into his pocket and handed me a small black box with little green lines on it.

I opened it cautiously. Inside it was a beautiful necklace with an emerald on the string. On it were carved the initials _SC&JB _in sparkling black letters. Underneath that, it said _Forever_.

_He wanted to be with me forever!!! Lucky me!_

I looked up at his expecting face.

"I love it. Thank you so much, Jake." I hugged him as tightly as I could. I didn't notice it before, but his temperature seemed to be a few degrees higher. I brushed it off, knowing that he had a fever for a few days.

He put it on my wrist and said, "Now whenever you wear it, you'll think of me."

* * *

As we got a little more comfortable, we talked and talked.

I found out that he had two sisters, Rachel and Rebecca Black but they both moved away. His mom, Sarah died when he was little, in a car accident. He loved and respected his dad, Billy - I could tell from the way he spoke aboout him. They had grown more distant since he met me, because his dad wasn't too fond of our friendship. That made me feel incredibly guilty; who was I to just waltz into their lives and ruin their once close relationship? He saw this and reassured me that it wasn't my fault and that Billy would come around eventually.

Jake loved anything associated with cars or motorcycles and was building his own car, a Volkswagen Rabbit and just needed one more part until it was done. He was very proud of it.

His two best friends were Embry and Quil – who both got mad when you teased them about their names. Embry was going to La Push High and Quil was the one he sat with at lunch on my first day here.

He also talked a little bit about Sam Uley and his 'gang'. He explained about them with a tone of disgust in his voice. He seemed upset when I asked why he didn't like them, so I dropped it.

* * *

"Would you like to dance?" He asked extending his hand towards me and bowing.

I giggled.

"I'm not much of a dancer." I admitted and blushed. _Why couldn't I get the grace of a vampire? Something useful from my 'darker' side?_

"C'mon! You can't be worse than me." He grinned and pouted, knowing that I couldn't resist it. Sneaky...

"Aw, alright." I took his hand - almost tripping while trying to stand up - and headed towards the floor.

We danced for a couple of songs, his hands on my waits and mine on his shoulders. I could tell that he was nervous and I was too, so neither of us moved forward to get closer to the other.

When we were out of breath, I suggested we sat down.

"You said you didn't dance!" He accused.

"No… I said I'm not _much_ of a dancer." I corrected.

"Well, I thought you were great."

While he was saying that, the DJ grabbed the mic and announced, "Alright! You couples better get on the floor, cause this one's for y'all!"

He started playing a ballad. _Already time for this?!_

Jake sprang to his feet and led me to the dance floor again, but this time I was _really _nervous. _Were we a couple? _I wondered. _I hope we are… I am so falling for this boy! _

As the song progressed, we moved closer and closer, until I could feel his hot breath grazing my shoulder, making me shiver.

My arms were around his neck – hard to reach, believe me – and his were wrapped securely around my waist, holding me tightly. This time it was more intimate than the first time we danced.

I placed my cheek on his chest and he put his head on mine. I could feel and hear his heart thundering almost as rapidly and loudly as mine.

He was humming the love song quietly in my ear.

He was so hot – literally –that I had to lift my cheek away from his chest. I almost felt too cold when I did so, but I wasn't a normal human so his increased temperature was not something I was used to. It's not that I was uncomfortable - in fact, I was loving his warmth - but when you spend most of your days with vampires, the heat is not one of the luxuries you would expect.

I looked up at him and couldn't look away.

His deep brown eyes were locked with mine as he moved closer. He cupped my face with one of his hands, the other one staying at my waist. My body hummed with anticipation at what was about to happen. We were only an inch apart…

I tilted my head, closed my eyes and… Something _wet_ spread across my dress!

"Oops... Sorry!" A girl with an annoying high-pitched voice said and walked away with a smirk on her face.

I realized she had spilled a huge amount of punch on my dress. I knew she did it on purpose.

I was threatening to explode. If she hadn't ruined that perfect moment, Jake and I would have kissed. _Wait! Kissed?!_

"What was that?" I asked him about the girl, trying to distract myself from the shock and confusion that swam through my head.

"She's just jealous." He answered handing me a paper towel. "She thinks I'm her boyfriend… or something…" He added quietly.

"What?!" I shrieked and narrowed my eyes. "Are you?"

He looked at me incredulously. "No! Stella, why would I be with her, when I have you?"

My eyes were still narrow when he said that, but I couldn't doubt his sincerity. He would never lie to me.

"I should go home." I said. The punch girl ruined the whole evening.

I looked around, trying to find Edward.

"Your brother's not here. He left about half an hour ago with a redhead." Jake informed me. His voice had a slightly hurt edge to it.

"Oh. I'll just call Carlisle then."

* * *

We walked out into the parking lot talking about anything other then what could have happened inside.

"Want to go hiking this weekend?" He said suddenly.

Another date? I guess he didn't feel as bad as I did about the stupid punch girl.

Edward was supposed to go hunting tomorrow. _Why didn't he just go during school? Always on a weekend, like he'll miss something important._ I just had to ask him to finish that night. _Sounds fair._

"Sure. Where?" I answered.

He grinned.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out."

I was about to protest but he cut me off. "There's your ride, Stell. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ugh. I hated secrets. And surprises.

"Ok. Bye, Jake." I said, giving up on asking about our hiking trip.

"Bye." He hugged me tightly for a few seconds, being interrupted when Jasper honked the horn. _Damn! He had the whole eternity. What's another five minutes?_

* * *

**Chapter 7 - the dance! I hope you like it. **

**Sorry for taking so long to update, but I was waiting for reviews. ****So far, I have 15. I am waiting for 10 more until I publish again. I will wait for it, even if it takes an eternity, to publish the next chapter.**

**Read and review, people!**

**_-Star_**


	9. Chapter 9

**8. Legends**

I rushed through the door of our big white home.

"Is anyone going hunting tomorrow?" I asked at normal volume as I was going up the stairs.

"No." They all yelled, so my pathetic human ears could hear. _Seriously, why isn't my vampire hearing increasing? _

"Why are you asking, Stella?" Carlisle asked as he appeared next to me. _I wish I had their speed!_ I thought. I was getting a little bit faster, I noticed, but nowhere near as fast as my family.

"I'm going hiking." I answered enthusiastically.

_Should I tell him I have a date with Jake or not? _I contemplated. I decided not, since the idiots Emmett and Jasper would probably kill me with their constant teasing. What's so bad about having a crush? They both had wives. But they still gave me hell whenever I mentioned Jake. And I mean _hell_. The first impression people usually had of Jasper would be serious and mature. Exactly the way he should have acted all the time. And he did, to everyone else. Therefore, the only question I had was... WHY ME?!

"With who?" Carlisle questioned. _Of course he'd ask..._

"A friend." He quirked one of his blonde eyebrows at me, requiring a real answer.

"Jake." I continued, sighing. I heard a loud - very girly - 'Ooh!' from upstairs. _Emmeeett!_ "Where is Edward? I need to tell him not to go hunting tomorrow, 'cause we'll probably be in his favorite part of the woods."

"Actually, he is hunting with Oona now. She had a hard time controlling herself at the dance." He hardly got to finish when Esme flitted to his side.

"She didn't slip up did she?" Her motherly features were filled with concern and horror at the thought of the human kids being in danger.

Carlisle put a comforting hand on her back. "Don't worry, Esme. Nothing happened. Edward dragged her out before it was too late."

She took a minute to calm down and then smiled. It made me feel nice when my family was happy. Esme always made everybody feel so at ease. I could bet that there wasn't a person in this world who wouldn't like her once they met her.

* * *

In the morning, I went to meet Jake at the invisible line where the 'vampire territory' ends. I ran there, just to try out my new speed. I can honestly say that it wasn't that great. I don't know what my family is always on about. Maybe I was still too slow to feel the real thing. I tried to get Emmett to carry me on his back through the woods, but Carlisle forbade it. He thinks I have a week stomach. _I kind of do..._ I won't experience their kind of speed any time soon, but I was still pretty fast. As fast as the fastest human in the world – not that I knew how fast he or she was. I just put myself in that category.

Jacob was standing near a red car, which I assumed was his Rabbit, the one he made with his own two beautiful, soft, warm hands. I had to admit, I was amazed. I was never good with cars. Even the slightest touch to a perfectly healthy one, and it would collapse under my hands. Okay, maybe that was exaggerating just a little bit. But to make a car on your own with just the parts and nothing else sounded a little too extreme for me and my clumsy self.

"Is this the car you made?" I asked after receiving a greeting hug from him.

"Yeah. You like it?"

"I love it. But how can you make something like this? I once tried pumping a flat tire on a bike and the poor thing ended up even worse than before. I tripped – I don't even know on what – and accidentally pushed the thing. You would think that's not so bad right?" He nodded. "Well, we were in a stairway with the bike, so it went flying down three flights of stairs. Christian, the one I was 'fixing' the bike for," I said, making air quotes around the word 'fixing', "was depressed for days. He really loved that bike. It was his first two-wheeler. I felt bad and I made an older guy at the orphanage fix it for real, so Christian and I were good in the end. But the poor kid learned his lesson and never trusted me with any of his things again."

"Seriously? Poor Christian…" He trailed off. "You're really that bad at fixing stuff?"

"Uh-huh. You better believe it." I said with a small smile and a blush.

"I'll try to remember that." He opened the door for me and I got in.

He drove us for a few minutes and then stopped. He opened my door – what a gentleman – and held my hand. I looked around to see a path going into the forest, but I saw nothing.

"So where is the trail?" I asked him uncertainly.

"The meadow isn't on the trail. Not a lot of people find it, but I went hiking with my friends once and we kind of got lost and stumbled upon it. So… Follow me." He pulled me behind him, going slower than he would have if he was alone, to match my pace. I was never an outdoors-y kind of a girl. _I'm from L.A., people!_

We hiked for a few hours and I was getting tired. He stopped suddenly and I looked at our surroundings. It was the same as everything else; trees, brown and green.

"Wha-" I was about to ask, but he cut me off by ducking down under some branches and manoeuvring through a thick bush. He held the branch up for me to go under and I followed him through the green.

We walked into a clearing. It was quite big and round. In the middle of it was a huge tree, taller and wider than the rest of them around the meadow. A stream was starting under its roots and spreading throughout the clearing and out into the forest.

Jake squeezed my hand. "Do you like it?" he asked quietly.

"Like it? I _love_ it, Jake!" I gave him a big hug and he grinned.

He sat down, his back against the tree, and motioned for me to sit on his lap. I nervously did as he asked and leaned onto his chest and listened to the sound of the stream, the birds flying through the surprisingly clear blue sky and his soothing, perfectly timed heartbeat. He played with my hair and planted small kisses in my hair.

I ran through all my moments with him in my head. If only we had kissed at the dance… I would never get the courage to try to do it again. He would have to make the first move. If that stupid girl didn't interrupt us…

"Jake, why did the punch girl think you were her boyfriend?" I asked.

"She was just jealous."

"I know. But why?" I looked up at his eyes, the beautiful pools of dark brown.

"Well, Carly – or the 'punch girl' as you like to call her – had this huge crush on me ever since elemen-"

"But you never led her on or anything, right?" I cut him off.

"Um… No?"

"That was a question." I said sitting up. "Not an answer."

"I didn't lead her on. It was just… You know… We kind of kissed."

"You what?!" I exclaimed jumping up to my feet. _Whoa, am I jealous?_ Never in my life was I jealous of anything or anybody. It was a weird emotion...

He jumped up too. "It's not what you think, Stella. It was only for Truth or Dare. I didn't want to do it, but her stupid posse made me!" He took my hand and pulled me down onto his lap again._ Why does she get to kiss him before me?! Ugh!_ I wanted to be his first kiss as he would be mine. I pouted.

"You know I would never lie to you, Stella." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to his comforting warmth. He didn't even like her, so I had no reason to be jealous or mad. It was before he met me…

"So how is it living with the Cullens?" He asked after a comfortable silence in which we just enjoyed each other's presence.

"It's great. They're really nice. All of them accepted me so fast. Even Rose and that's saying something." He smiled.

"The legends make them out to be dangerous." He snorted. "And my dad actually believes that stuff."

"Can you tell me some of your legends? About the Cullens?" I asked eagerly. I wanted to know what the Quileute thought of my family and their kind.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious. I like legends… Come on, tell me." I pleaded.

"Alright. But they are more like scary stories, I guess."

"I like scary stories, Jake." I was getting a bit impatient.

"Sure, sure. Let's start at the beginning." I nodded.

_**(from "Twilight", Chapter: Scary Stories. I changed some of the minor things Bella says, because Stella already knows about the vampires)**_

"The legends claim that we descended from wolves — and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them.

"There are also stories about the _cold ones_." His voice dropped lower.

"The vampires?" I asked.

"Yes, the bloodsuckers. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." He rolled his eyes, showing me that he didn't believe it.

"Your great-grandfather?" I encouraged.

"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf—well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves."

"Werewolves have enemies?"

"Only one."

I stared at him earnestly, hoping to disguise my impatience as admiration and curiosity.

"So you see," Jacob continued, "the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this coven that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did — they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces." He winked at me.

"If they weren't dangerous, then why even bother making a truce?" I asked trying to get him to tell me more.

"There's always a risk for humans to be around the bloodsuckers, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist." He deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into his tone.

"What do you mean, 'civilized'?"

"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead."

I tried to keep my voice casual. "So how does it fit in with my family? Are they like the cold ones your great-grandfather met?"

"No." He paused dramatically. "They are the _same_ ones."

He must have thought the expression on my face was fear inspired by his story. He smiled, pleased, and continued.

"There are more of them now; a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before _your_ people had even arrived." He was fighting a smile.

I stared out at the forest to hide my expression. It wasn't nice hearing about your family as the 'bloodsuckers' and the enemies.

"You have goose bumps." He noted, laughing quietly.

"You are a good storyteller." I told him still watching the forest.

"Pretty crazy stuff, isn't it? No wonder Billy doesn't want me telling anyone…"

I looked up at him now, my normal carefree expression back in place. "Don't worry. I won't give you away."

"I guess I just violated the treaty." He snorted. "With a Cullen."

"I'll take it to the grave!" I promised and shivered. In a couple of years, I would probably ask Carlisle if he would bite me and I would change into a full vampire, if that was even how it worked with my species; then there wouldn't be a grave for me. I wouldn't be with Jake forever, as my necklace said. That brought a wave of sadness over me.

"Seriously, though. Don't tell anyone. My dad would kill me!"

"I won't! Of course not. Pinkie promise." I held out my pinkie and he entwined his around it, a smile covering his face the entire time.

"So do you think we're just a bunch of superstitious natives or what?" He asked in a playful tone, but I could detect a hint of worry. I smiled and leaned further into his embrace.

"No. I think you are very good at telling stories. I still have goose bumps, see?" I said holding out my arm.

**_(The Twilight part is done now!)_**

"Cool." He examined it, leaving a burning trail wherever his fingers touched it.

We sat there for a long time after that, just talking and holding each other. He looked up at the once blue sky and groaned.

"It's going to rain soon. We should go." He took my hand and we ran down the mountain toward his car.

* * *

I expected to get out at the boundary line, but he didn't stop.

"Jacob, what are you doing?" I asked him.

"Screw Billy! I wanna take my girl home." _His girl!_ I did a little happy dance in my head. "You can't walk alone in the rain."

Right then, I _loved _rainy Forks. It made Jake take 'his girl' home and gave me more time with him. Precious, precious time with precious, _precious_ Jake.

"You could stay for dinner. I'm the only one eating, anyway…" I trailed off. _Why did I have to tell him I was the only one eating?!_ He could suspect something. Not a huge clue, but still. _What would I do then? I know what Edward would. Kill me._

"Why are you the only one eating?" He asked curiously while tilting his head to one side adorably to look at me.

"Um… They ate already. Yeah. They usually eat at six and it's eight now. I doubt Emmett could wait…" I hoped he bought it. "He probably ate all of it anyway."

He looked at me for a second and then grinned. "If he did, I'll help you make something else for us."

"So you're staying?" He nodded. "And you'll cook?"

"No! I cannot cook! I said I'd help you with it. Like give you the ingredients kind of 'help you'. I'm as bad at cooking as you are with mechanics."

I grinned at him and heard his thoughts for the first time in a while. _"She is so beautiful. Look at that smile… Just magic!"_

He grinned back at me. If he thought my smile was beautiful…

* * *

We pulled up into the driveway. He hopped out to open my door and grabbed my hand. I led him inside and called for my family, "Carlisle? Esme? Anyone? I've got a special guest… Is anyone home?" I hoped they weren't. I needed more alone time with Jake.

"Uh… Stella, I don't think they can hear you if they're in another room." He reminded me. That would have been true if they were human, but since they weren't… They better pretend they were for all of our sakes.

I looked around once again. Emmett came strolling into the room, acting surprised when he saw the two of us.

"Why, hello there, dear sister. And your little friend is here too!" He threw me a wicked grin while saying the word 'friend'. He was using a fake British accent. It was not working well for him. _What a freak._ "What brings you two lovebirds to the lovely Cullen mansion?"

I shot him a death glare, but noticed that Emmett's taunting didn't bother Jake, so it wasn't as sharp as it could have been. "We were hungry, oh dear brother." I answered. "And it started raining. You wouldn't like it if I stayed in the rain too long and caught a cold would you Emmett?" He shook his head. "Have you two met formally?"

"Nope." Jake said.

"Emmett, this is my…" My what? My WHAT? "Jacob." I just settled for his name, not sure what step we were at. I noticed his face fell, but he recovered quickly. _What does that mean?!_ "Jake, this is Emmett, one of my brothers." They greeted each other with nods.

"I am going out with Rose now, Stella. Try to behave while we are gone, please. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winked at me and wiggled his eyebrows at Jake. Stupid, _stupid,_ _STUPID!_ He ran out the door, seeing the anger building up inside of me. Jake snickered.

"What do you want to make?" I asked him as we were entering the kitchen.

"I'm not making anything!" He said quickly and I giggled. "I'll take whatever you like."

I looked into the cupboard trying to decide. I needed something fast. I was too lazy to do anything but stare at Jake.

"I feel like mac and cheese right now."

I took out the microwavable package and put it in the microwave, waiting for it to be over. He sat down at the dining table – a prop, never used until I came – and watched me sit down across from him. He was about to speak when his phone rang.

"Sorry." He apologized and answered it. "Yes?"

"_Jacob?"_ It was Billy. Damn. _"Where are you?"_ He thundered. He was mad. Double damn.

"I'm at a friend's. What is it?" Jake answered. I felt bad hearing their whole conversation, but it wasn't like I could tune it out. My hearing was pretty good.

"_Is that friend maybe a Cullen? Quil told me you were with the le-_ _girl!"_ Whoa! Did he want to call me a 'leech'? That made me wonder. Was Billy a werewolf? Did he have the gene? Carlisle said nobody smelled any wolves for a long time. Then why was he so convinced that I was a dangerous vampire?

"Dad! Will you listen to yourself?! She's not a…" He threw a nervous look at me. "Whatever!"

I heard some shuffling on the other line and another voice – calmer than Billy's – entered the conversation. _"Jacob? Come back to La Push. Your father is worried about you. He doesn't want anything bad happening to you at the _Cullens'_." _He spat out my name with disgust. _Another believer._

"What? _Sam Uley?_ What the hell?! I want to talk to dad!" Jake yelled. I noticed his hand started to shake a little bit. I grabbed it to calm him down and ran soothing circles across his knuckles. He smiled at me tenderly.

"_Jake, get home now."_ Billy was back, sounding exasperated.

"Billy, why do you have to bring Sam Uley into every argument we have? I don't know the man. I rarely speak to him and I don't want to start now."

"_He will help you out with some… changes when the time comes. Come home, son. You don't want to be with her, believe me. It is for your own good" _He was now a lot calmer or maybe just tired of fighting with his only son.

Jake didn't hear the change in his voice and continued to argue. "Believe _me_, dad, I do!"

I heard a huge intake of breathe on the other line and a loud and powerful, _"Get home, RIGHT NOW!" _

Guilt was the biggest emotion I felt when Billy hung up. It was evident on my face and Jake noticed it.

"Stella. It's not your fault. I don't want you blaming yourself for an old man's stubbornness." I nodded, not quite sure of it. "Stella, really. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do." I whispered. "But I'm making you sad when your fighting with your dad. I don't want you family to fall apart because of me."

"It will not be because of you, Stell. It will be because of his stupid, _stupid_ beliefs! God, I hate him for doing this!!!" He started shaking again – this time his whole body was quivering – and gripped the table.

"Jake." I touched his arm. "Calm down." I whispered soothingly. I looked into his eyes and it made him relax a bit. I didn't know he was so prone to throwing temper tantrums. _If only I had Jasper…_ "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"Your 15, so you can't drive." He protested.

"I am 15, but I can drive." I said matter-of-factly.

"Doesn't matter. It will only make things worse. I'm really sorry, Stella."

"I am too." He headed for the Rabbit, but I took both his hands and looked into his eyes. "Promise me you won't be hard on Billy. Promise you won't fight or yell at him." He scoffed. "He's just worried about you. Anyone would be." _Anyone who knew the truth behind the Quileute legends. _"Please, Jake? For me?" His expression softened up a bit. "Promise?"

"Sure, sure." He mumbled. "Can we at least argue?" He offered. I shot him a half-hearted glare, but was glad that he wasn't that mad anymore, since he joked.

I stood up on my toes and attempted to peck him. It turned into something much more passionate as he suddenly pushed me up against the car. His hands travelled up and down my back and arms, making me shiver despite the heat he gave off. My hands were in his hair and on his chest and neck. He moved his hands towards my rear and pulled my legs around his waist, so that his body and the car were the only things supporting me. He pulled away to catch a breath, but resumed kissing my neck and nibbling on my ear softly. I shuddered. We heard a faint sound of what I thought was a car, but didn't stop. We were both too into the moment to register anything around us. I let out a moan of pleasure as he kissed my lips again and explored the inside of my mouth with his tongue. He growled low in his throat in response.

I heard my name being called and I jumped away. I immediately felt cold without Jacob's abnormal heat on me, so I moved closer to him. It was almost like an instinct. It was Carlisle. He was the one who pulled up. He was the one who called my name. It was Carlisle. I had never had a lot of experience with fathers, but I doubted that Carlisle would feel... _comfortable_...at the scene he saw. We stared at each other for an awkward minute – at least for me it was awkward – before he turned to Jake who still held onto my hand.

"Stella, won't you tell me who your friend is?" Carlisle asked. I just stared. My face was a deep red and my mind couldn't form a coherent sentence from the embarrassment I felt. I felt Jake nudge me to indicate to me that I should probably say something.

"Er… Carlisle. This is uh… my boyfriend Jacob." I said and noticed that Jake smiled at his new title out of the corner of my eye. "Jake, this is my dad, Dr. Cullen." Carlisle seemed satisfied with his title too. It was the first time I had ever called either of them that aloud.

They shook hands and Jake flinched when he touched Carlisle cold skin. "Nice to meet you, sir." He said with a small smile.

"Please, call me Carlisle. It is a pleasure to meet you too." He smiled, trying to make Jake and me a little bit more comfortable. "How was your hiking trip?" He asked me.

"It went very well, until it started raining. We had to come back here to escape a rainstorm." I whispered. I was so nervous. If Carlisle didn't have super-sonic hearing, he wouldn't have heard me. I could feel Jacob's hand trembling slightly against mine, but I didn't know why; he wasn't mad anymore. The rest of his body seemed perfectly still, almost vampire-like; cautios as if he was waiting for something to jump out at him.

"Oh, that was very unfortunate. Well, I take it you have already said your goodbye's, so I have to ask Stella to come inside with me. I hope to see you again soon, Jacob." He said and stood on the porch waiting for me.

"I'm sorry." Mouthed Jake.

"I'm not. Just remember your promise." I reminded him, not bothering to whisper because I knew Carlisle would know what I said.

* * *

"Are you mad at me?" I asked Carlisle when we got inside and heard Jake drive off. I was afraid of his answer. I didn't want him to be mad or disappointed.

"No." He replied simply and went to his office. I followed. He had already taken out a book and was studying it. "Stella, was Jacob shaking before I came?"

"Uh… Yes… But he was really angry. How did you know?" I asked. How did Carlisle know everything?

"Oh, I noticed his hand."

"Why would you even want to know that?" I sensed there was something he wasn't telling me.

"No reason. You should go to sleep, it's late." He was eager to change the subject.

"Are you sure? I mean, everything you do has a reason."

"It was nothing, Stella. I just thought I recognized something, but I was wrong. No need to worry." I nodded.

"Where are the others? I only saw Emmett." I sat down on a leather chair across from his.

"They've all gone hunting, except Edward. He is taking Oona back to Denali. They should be back soon."

"Hmm. Alright. Goodnight, Carlisle." I headed for the door but was stopped by his voice.

"Oh, Stella?" He called. "I would appreciate it very much if you could try to call me Dad and Esme Mom. You know how much she loves to hear it. But that is only if you are ready."

I contemplated it and decided I was more than ready. "Goodnight, Dad."

* * *

**Hello, readers!**

**I realized it was mean asking for all those reviews. I'm sorry. I'll keep writing and publishing my stories, no matter how many reviews I get. I'm just grateful you guys are still with me.**

**I have the next couple of chapters ready, but I need to rewrite them and make them better. Maybe I will add some new things, because I think it was a little rushed.**

**Thank you to all the people who read and reviewed the last chapter. I will try to update soon.**

**_-Star_**


	10. Chapter 10

**9. Avoidance**

_November 20_

It had been over a week since Jake and I went hiking and I hadn't heard anything from him. I tried calling his house and his cell phone, but nobody ever answered. Billy must have gotten to him and he decided that it would be better to end our relationship, if you could even call it that. We did only have one kiss. Although it was sweet and passionate– or at least that was what I thought it was – maybe Jake didn't like it. Or me, for that matter, anymore.

I came to the conclusion that he probably decided to avoid me, instead of breaking up face-to-face.

_November 26_

He still hadn't called. He didn't even go to school anymore. He wasn't in any of his classes and I didn't see him at lunch either.

I talked to his friend Quil and he told me that Jake had transferred to the Tribal High School. God, did he really want to get rid of me that badly?

I gave him one more week to call or attempt any kind of contact with me. If he didn't, I would go down there – treaty and all – and kick his ass!

_November 30_

I couldn't wait for the whole week to end! Edward told me I was being paranoid and that Jake might be sick or on a trip. I didn't even consider those options. He could use the phone if he was sick and he would tell me if he was going somewhere. So… not the case. He was definitely avoiding me. Eddie then advised me to go check on him. Of course, he said it in a way that was supposed to be humorous, but I considered it as his permission to visit Jake. Then I wouldn't be the only one guilty when caught.

As soon as school was over, I ran at top speed to La Push. It took me only twenty minutes, a little bit more than it would take me with a car. I slowed my pace as I made my way across the boundary line in the freezing rain, hoping to find Jacob's house. It wasn't long before I spotted it, seeing as it had a red Rabbit in front of it. I slowed down to a jog – human speed – and knocked loudly at the door. I tapped my foot on the floor, unable to hide my impatience and anxiety of seeing him again.

An old man in a wheelchair opened the door. _Probably Billy._ I thought. "How can I help you?" He asked politely.

"I'm Jacob's friend from school. He asked me to come over so he could explain some history stuff to me." I knew Jake was good at history, so I used it. I had to struggle to keep a pleasant smile on my face while talking.

"You are from the Tribal School?" He questioned. _Yeah, I can see how you could mistake me for a Forks kid. Brown hair, green eyes, very pale skin._

"No. I'm from Forks High. It's just, we started a project together and we didn't get to finish before he transferred. And I'm really bad at history, so I desperately need his help." _Impressive. I'm a good liar._ I praised myself. _It is not easy to make up lies - ahem, fibs - like that on the spot._

"What's your name?" _God, what's with the third degree? Couldn't he just let me in to see Jacob?! _

"I'm Angela Weber." That was the girl Jake sat with at lunch on my first day at the school. I also had math with her. Seemed like a nice girl; a little shy, but somebody Billy could like.

"I'm Billy Black, Jake's father. Nice to meet you." He smiled a pleasant smile. He looked so much like an older version of Jake. When they smiled, it lip up their whole face and made them look younger and more… innocent. _Why was he so good to Jacob's other friends? Why not me? _I felt a pang of hurt._ I'm just like them. Except for the whole half-human half-vampire thing. But it's not like he knows! _I continued my rant as he invited me inside.

"Jake should be back from school soon. He won't be too long. You could wait in his room if you want. Is that okay?"

"Yes. Thank you." I sighed in relief softly. He didn't hear it.

Billy showed me to Jake's room through a short hall. I sat on his bed waiting. Beside his bed, he had a nightstand. There was an alarm clock, an uncompleted English essay and a framed picture. I moved closer so I could see it. It was us. From the dance. I didn't even know they were taking pictures! I never really liked posing or getting my picture taken. It was probably the yearbook committee. In the photo, we were dancing and looking deep into each other's eyes, the reason why I didn't notice they took it. I was too lost in his gaze. I remembered looking into his stunning chocolate eyes; the adoration that they portrayed while watching me, following my every move. He had his arms around my body and mine were around his neck and in his hair. We looked very much like a couple in love. _Some things have to change, right? _I thought bitterly.

I heard the door open and then slam.

"Billy." He said as a greeting. I recognized the voice as Jacob's, but it was flat and monotone. Nothing like the low, husky tone I knew and loved._ A bad day? Well, it's about to become much worse!_

"Hello, Jake. Angela Weber is here to see you about your old history assignment. She's in your room." Billy informed him politely. I could hear they weren't on good terms and I wondered why. Jacob wasn't with me anymore so there was no reason for this hostility they displayed.

"What assignment?" He questioned as he made his way through the hallway.

"Angela?" He asked as he was opening the door. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw me.

"Stella? What are you doing here?" He moved closer towards me. "You crossed the line! Isn't that kind of bad for the Cullens?" He asked loudly. _Way too loudly._

"Shh! Keep your voice down. You think Billy would let me in if he knew who I was?" He shook his head. _It was supposed to be a rhetorical question, jerk!_ "I came to clear something up. Be quiet and call me Angela." I commanded.

"Hi, Angela!" He said at full volume - _didn't I just say 'be quiet'?_ - so that his father would hear. He then proceeded to hug me.

I felt so warm and comfortable and safe in his embrace, that I almost forgot my reason for coming. But I was not fooled so easily by his charms. He leaned in to kiss me, but I pushed him away.

"Are you mad?" He asked worriedly.

"Mad?" I repeated. "I am _pissed_!"

"What do you mean?" He wrinkled his nose in confusion.

"I haven't heard from you in three weeks! I was so convinced that you… liked me when we kissed… But you just started avoiding me! Was all this just a joke to you? Get the pathetic new girl to fall in love with you, than once you get what you wanted, dump her! Or even worse, just ignore her?!" I had to stop to take a breath. "I've called you so many times! Billy said you were busy, but after a week…" I trailed off.

"You called?"

"What?! How clueless can you get? Of course I did! I wouldn't kiss you and then just ignore you!" I yelled. "That's your job."

He looked taken aback. For a second, I could see he wanted to argue with my accusations, but he stopped himself. He sat down on his bed and looked at me. "So… you called?"_ Didn't we just cover that?_

"Yes. And then I hear you changed schools! How desperate were you to get rid of me?" His eyes softened and he moved to stand in front of me.

"Stella." He lifted my chin so I could look into his eyes. _His dreamy, mesmerizing eyes… I so have to get rid of these treacherous thoughts! They're making me forget my point._ I focused on what he was saying. "Billy didn't tell me you called. If I knew, I would have talked to you. I just thought you were mad at me for kissing you like I did. I didn't want to call first, because I thought I should give you some time to think about it. Plus, I was grounded." I smiled a tiny smile, despite myself. Did I believe him? No.

"Then why didn't you come see me at school? Was Billy so determined to keep you away from me that he transferred you to another school?" My tone was sarcastic, but inside I hoped it was true.

"Yes, actually. He is absolutely, undeniably crazy! He thinks that you are a leech! A vampire, Stella. Can you believe that?" _He was half-right._ I thought. _But why was a human so convinced that that was the truth?_ "He thinks you'll trigger some sort of an event. A huge event. He told me you're dangerous for me," he was starting to shake, almost unnoticeably, "and soon I will be dangerous for you." It might have been possible that I was dangerous for him, but I would never do anything to hurt him. Besides, I still didn't have my maximum – or minimum – vampire strength. I was just human in that department. But what did Billy mean when he said that Jake was dangerous for me?

He sighed deeply. "I missed you." He whispered. His eyes were begging me for forgiveness for his absence.

I stood on my tip-toes and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I missed you too." _Unbearably so._ I added in my head. He put me down on his bed and cradled me into his chest. He was always so reassuring. Even with the slightest touch he could make me feel better. I felt completely at peace in his embrace.

He pulled my face up to his and kissed me. This one was better than our first one. It was even more passionate and filled with endless amounts of love. I hoped he felt the same way I did...

To my disappointment, he pulled away after a couple of seconds. _I guess we all have to breathe, right?_ He nuzzled my cheek tenderly. He buried my head into his neck and whispered in my ear, "I love you."

My heart soared. Jacob loved me? I felt hot tears stream down my face. How did I go from thinking that it was over, to knowing that he _loved _me?

"Are you crying?" He pulled me back to see my face. The back of his palm caressed my cheek, wiping the tears away. "Why?"

"It's just... This is so fast! We met not even two months ago! Are you sure you... _love _me?" My voice was incredulous, although I believed him inside, because I felt the same way.

"I do." He vowed. "More than anything else in the world." He paused. "And it doesn't seem fast to me. I feel such a strong connection to you, Stella. I know we were meant to be together." I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him, hoping to show him how I feel and how deeply my emotions go.

"I love you." I said and his arms tightened around me. "I love you so much, Jake."

I can't even explain how I felt.

Pure bliss, ecstasy. Heaven...

Then, it all came crashing down with just one word; one question coming from a furious man.

"Jacob?!"


	11. Chapter 11

**10. Stating the Facts**

"Jacob!" Billy bellowed. His face was a mixture of shock and anger. _Did he know who I really was now?_ "What is going on here?"

Jacob's arms tightened around me as he stood up, pulling me with him. "Stella came over to visit." He said, trying to keep his voice controlled.

Recognition flashed across Billy eyes, but the emotion was soon replaced by fury again.

He started saying something, but Jake cut him off. "Apparently, she has called me. Many times. I wasn't here. Would you happen to know anything about that?!" He asked accusingly. He gave Billy no room to answer as he continued. "Why didn't you tell me? I thought she forgot all about me! I thought she didn't want to see me anymore. Do you know how that made me feel, dad?"

Billy's face had a guilty look on it. "Come on, Jacob. She is just another crush. You can't take a high school relationship seriously." He patronized.

"She is not a crush! I love her!" Jacob's voice rang throughout the room, though I was sure everybody could hear it miles away. "She loves me."

Billy looked taken aback. "Son, you are only sixteen. You don't know what love is."

Jake looked incredulous. "I do! I feel it. You can't keep separating us anymore!" _Damn right! _I added in my head.

The father sighed. "Jake… She… She is a _Cullen_." He pronounced the name loud and clear, with disgust in his deep voice. He looked at me for the first time, almost apologetically. Was he giving up?! "It isn't right." _Not right?! Please… _I scoffed.

"'It's not right'. How can you even say that? What would you do if your father did everything he could to keep you away from mom?!"

Billy's eyes widened dramatically. "You can't possibly be comparing one of them to your mother! A Cullen. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Of course not!" Jacob cried. He started shaking. No, seriously; s_haking._ Like a volcano, just waiting to erupt.

"Jacob…" Billy whispered in a low, warning tone.

"She… is…" Jake struggled to say. I was unable to detect the rest of the words; they were sounding like growls now. His eyes were murderous as he glared at Billy.

"Jake?" I asked tenderly, trying to get his attention. I stood in front of him, tearing his gaze away from his father to me. "Calm down." I commanded.

I heard the front door slam open and footsteps running towards the room we were in. Two men entered. They both looked very similar, tall, dark skin and brown hair. I recognized the younger looking one as Embry, a friend of Jake's.

They both glared at me, their nostrils flaring as if they smelt something vile, before the older one advanced toward us. I moved away when I felt the heat radiating from his body. It was uncomfortably warm, nothing like Jake's heat. The man put a hand to Jake's chest.

"Get out." He ordered me. His voice sounded so authoritative, I almost listened to it.

"Don't talk to her that way, Uley!" Jake snarled. _Ah, so this was the famous Sam Uley. What a pleasure it was to meet him. _Another round of tremors ran over Jacob's body as I was thinking this.

Before I knew it, I was shoving Sam out of the way, shrieking, "You're not helping!" My hand almost burned as I touched him and he seemed taken aback by the gesture and he jumped away from me. If he wasn't surprised by my cold hand, I don't think I would have been able to move him an inch.

"Jake…" I whispered in a soothing manner. I placed one of my hands on his scorching hot chest and the other one caressed his cheek lovingly. "You need to calm down, baby." His shaking slowed down a little.

"They…" He swallowed. "Want us to…" His voice quivered, showing that he wasn't anywhere near calm yet.

"I know." I said, interrupting him. I gave him a chaste kiss. "But nothing and no one will keep me away from you." I looked into his eyes, willing him to believe me. It may have looked like I was perfectly fine, like I handled these types of situations every day, but on the inside… I was freaking out! _What was even happening?!_ Everybody seemed to know, except Jake and me.

My little comforting speech seemed to have worked and now only Jacob's hand was quivering. He smiled, put his arms around my waist and pulled me close, so that my back was to him. I put my hands on his and mouthed 'I love you' to him. His answering grin was all I needed to relax and melt into him.

We stood there for a few moments until I finally remembered we weren't alone. I saw Sam and Embry's equal disgusted expressions. _Why hate me so much? Why cause all these difficulties? Just let us be!_ I pleaded with my eyes when I met their gazes. Billy's face was quite different. It was a mixture of disbelief and… delight. _What the hell was he so happy about?_

"What are you doing here, Sam?" Jacob asked, his voice monotone. "Where're your buddies, Jared and Paul? Got tired of stalking Quil and me yet?" I saw Embry flinch slightly as he said it. Jake didn't turn to look at him, but I was sure he noticed the small movement.

Sam opened his mouth to retort, but Billy spoke first. "Jacob, I don't appreciate the tone you're using with Sam."_ Well, he deserves it! _I wanted to yell, but held back. I didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to me. Something about Billy's voice showed Jake not to argue.

He turned back to me. "You should probably leave now, Stella." He said my name for the first time and didn't even show any resentment at all.

"What?" Jake interrupted, panicked. "I thought we already established Stella and I are staying together!"

"We have. But, it's late. I'm sure Dr. Cullen would be worried about you." I met his eyes. They led me to believe that everything would be okay; that we would work this out. "Do you need a ride home?" He asked politely.

I looked up at all the other people in the room. Jacob was just as surprised and confused as I was. Sam and Embry looked bewildered. _What was Billy's deal now? Since when was he civil towards me? Why would he care if a _Cullen_ got home okay?_

"Um… No, I'll be fine." I told him and smiled nervously. I wanted to run back, just to help me clear my mind.

He returned my smile with a warm grin. "That's good. Why don't you say goodbye to Jake now and we will see you soon?"

I continued staring at him, until I felt Jake tugging at my sleeve to make me move. I followed him out to the porch.

As we rounded the corner, he slammed me against the wall and started kissing me. I felt a slow smile spread across his face. When I pulled away, he was absolutely glowing.

"What are you so pleased about?" I asked softly, reaching up to touch his warm cheek.

"A lot of reasons!" He exclaimed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well, for one… You love me!!!" He told me while encasing me in a bear hug. He was happy that I loved him. I had something better: _He_ loved _me_! Now that was a reason for joy.

"What's the other thing?"

"Billy's finally ready to accept us!" Oh. Hmm. Was he? He seemed to be eager to get me out of the house. Similarly, he seemed eager to see me again.

"Are you sure?" I asked unsurely. "Maybe he just wanted to get rid of me." I heard some commotion from the inside, but ignored it. I didn't want to hear what Billy, Sam and Embry were talking about.

"Oh, yeah! He was already softening up when I told him I loved you. He didn't even put up a compelling argument." He grinned, showing of all his teeth and making them glisten in the moonlight. I mirrored the action. Billy wasn't against us anymore. He was okay with the term 'Jake and Stella'. _I just wish more people were like him. _I thought with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked, alarmed with my sudden mood change.

"It's nothing, Jake." I wasn't about to tell him all my insecurities about our relationship; he was too happy right now and I needed him to stay that way. "You go back inside, looks like Billy wants you." I observed the scene in the house. I didn't notice anybody enter the living room, but they were all there. Sam sat on the loveseat and Billy on the couch, watching us. Billy was wearing a small smile on his face, but Sam did not seem happy. Embry was studying our exchange from the corner of the room showing a worried expression.

"I guess you're right." Jake groaned. "How are you getting home?"

"Don't worry about me. I have my ways." I grinned mischievously.

"Stella…" He stopped, recalling something. "How did you even get here?"

_Oh, I ran. Really. It's not a big deal when you're half vamp. It took me as much it would take a normal person with a car._ Of course, I couldn't tell him that; first of all, he would think I was crazy and superstitious and secondly, there was the small issue of the Volturi. How do you explain that one? I didn't drive, the Cullens weren't allowed in La Push and a cab just wasn't an option.

"I…" _What do I say?!_ I panicked. "I hitched a ride with Jessica."

"Jessica Stanley?" He inquired sounding like he didn't believe me.

"Yeah, Jessica Stanley." My tone turned defensive. Why did he not believe me! "Jessica, Angela and Lauren were going to the beach. I saw an opportunity to get to you and I took it." It was only a half lie. The girls really were going to the beach that night with Mike, Ben and Tyler; Mike even asked me to join them. Of course, at the time, I wasn't thinking about that. I was obsessing over my 'break up' with Jake.

"Oh. Well, how are you getting home?" _So many questions…_

"They're still at the beach, believe me. I'll just go down and ask them for a ride." God, it felt bad to lie to him.

"You don't know where they are." He stated. _Why did he suddenly become so over-protective?_

"I have a cell phone, Jake. Now get inside." I ordered.

"Maybe I should take you-"

"Jake." I cut him off sharply. "I'll be all right. Don't worry, I can take care of myself."

He pouted. I leaned in to give him a quick goodbye kiss and erased the look from his face. He beamed at me and said, "I'll see you tomorrow! Call me when you get home."

I shoved him through the doorway and headed towards what I thought was the way to the beach. As soon as I neared the forest, I took off running.

* * *

When I stepped foot into the house the next day after school, I was met by Carlisle telling me that we needed to talk. The whole family assembled in the living room and waited for him to tell us whatever he needed to. I hoped it wouldn't be anything serious - it would extend the meeting - because I couldn't wait to see Jake.

"Stella, you were in La Push yesterday." He started.

"Edward told me I could go!" I burst out in that I-know-I'm-guilty-lock-me-up voice I didn't know I possessed. Emmett snickered and I blushed.

"Yes, I am aware of that. I'm not blaming you for anything." Carlisle assured me with a soft smile.

"He's just stating the facts." Edward added while I glared at him.

"Exactly." There was a long pause. I was pretty sure I was the only one feeling even remotely uncomfortable as they all stared either at me (Jasper, Emmett, Edward and Carlisle) or at Carlisle (Alice, Rosalie and Esme). Vampires didn't seem to have that problem. They could - and would - wait forever for someone to start talking; they didn't feel the need to fill even the slightest silent - or awkward - moment with small talk like humans did.

"So…" I trailed off, not sure what to say. I knew Jazz, Emmett and _Eddie_ were doing this just for the love of making me all _flustered_. They were succeeding, as always.

"You went to see Jacob." Carlisle said, bringing the boys' attention back to him. I nodded, although it wasn't a question. "Did everything turn out okay?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice and Rosalie grin at me. They cornered me just as I got back yesterday, refusing to let me go to my room until I told them what happened. Alice was ecstatic with what she heard, but Rose wasn't too happy. She tried not to show it, but I knew she didn't accept strangers in the family. She probably thought it was just a high-school crush, therefore didn't let it bother her too much.

"Yeah, it was fine." My voice was higher than I wanted it to be – I didn't need Emmett and Jazz knowing what happened yesterday; the kisses, the love…

"Why ya blushin'?" Emmett cooed. _Am I?!_ I blushed even deeper.

Carlisle ignored him and my blazing cheeks and proceeded to – as Edward put it – state more facts.

"I'm glad. He confessed his love to you."

_How does he know? Why is he so calm about this? And why is he speaking so goddamn slowly?!_

"Could we get on with this?" I asked rudely.

Carlisle smiled and obliged. "I spoke to Billy Black today. He told me he wanted to have a meeting." He paused, waiting for my reaction. _Ah, so that's where his all-seeing-ness - is that a word? it can't be! - comes in. Billy told him. That's one mystery solved! On to the next one!_

I sat there, frozen, too surprised to do anything. _Why would Billy want to talk to Carlisle?_ "He wants to… negotiate some of the contents of the treaty." Everybody – except Edward and Alice – looked at him with the same blank expressions.

"Why?" Emmett finally asked.

"He claims it has something to do with the blossoming relationship between Stella and Jacob." _What?!_ _Blossoming? Who says that?!_ That was honestly my first thought, before the paranoid side of me kicked in. _What if he wanted to declare war on the Cullens, my family? But that wouldn't work; humans could do nothing to us. _I quickly dismissed my first fear. _Maybe he wanted to banish us from Forks. Could he do that? He was one of the La Push Council Elders… They enforced the treaty. But… His eyes seemed so soft yesterday, like he really believed in Jake and me._

"When are you meeting?" I asked in a small voice. _Maybe I could go… _

"Tonight." Edward answered, before Carlisle could. "And there is no way you're going." _Shit! I thought he said he couldn't read my mind! _

"Well, why not? It is about me." I argued.

"Stella, there is no need. We are only meeting the three Council Elders. Alice and Jasper don't even have to go, just the ones who were there when the original treaty was made." Carlisle explained. Jasper seemed ready to dispute but Alice put a tiny hand on his arm telling him not to.

"Daaaaaaad…" I whined like the three-year-old I once was and was slowly becoming again - at least on the maturity front.

"Stella, honey, it's best if you stay home." Esme jumped in. "It'll be late when we go and you have school tomorrow."

"But-"

"No buts. You'll hear everything tomorrow."

"Mom!" I yelled. She didn't react. I looked at Alice for help but she just shrugged. "This is so unfair! I have a right to know what's going on!" I stomped my foot and glared at Emmett as he chuckled, yet again. _Yes I am sooooo funny!_ I ran up to my room and slammed the door.

_Omigod! Why am I such a teenager?! _


	12. Chapter 12

**11. La Push**

School went by agonizingly slow! Or maybe that was just because I was waiting for Carlisle – or anyone – to tell me what happened at their meeting with the Elders.

I woke up that morning – having barely slept the night before – and ran down the stairs to find Carlisle so he could describe the night in great detail, down to what Billy was wearing. However, it turned out he had an emergency at the hospital, so I couldn't see him. I proceeded to corner Edward, but he thought it would be better if I heard it from Carlisle and there was no way to bribe him – I tried, believe me. Esme, Rosalie and Emmett were hunting, so I obviously couldn't talk to them until after school.

It was all I could think about during class. If Edward thought Carlisle would be better than him delivering the news, it had to mean something bad happened.

Currently, I was sitting in the backseat of Edward's beloved Volvo, fuming. Nobody, with the exception of Alice and Jazz, talked to me the whole day. Even at lunch, everything was quiet. Vampires could go months without interactions being an issue. Normally, I wouldn't mind, but it was driving me crazy – quite literally. I started thinking of all the insane ways the meeting could have gone and how it would affect me. I dared not repeat them – even in my head - or I might have just gone on a rampage until I found out the truth.

When we _finally_ pulled into the driveway, I jumped out and sprinted towards the house. I heard Emmett's guffaws from his seat in the living room when he noticed me, but didn't care at the time. Apparently, they were already back from hunting. _Just my luck…_ I slammed the door open and ran into Carlisle's office.

"So, what happened?!" I burst out as soon as he lifted his head to look at me. I realized I was hyperventilating as a result of my panic and tried to calm down.

"The treaty has been modified slightly." He answered at last.

I sat down in the chair facing him. "What do you mean?"

"They have granted you safe entrance onto their territory." I gasped. So Billy was trying to save Jake and me. _How sweet of him!_ Why were my thoughts turning so girly?!

"Only me?" I asked. That could have turned out to be a potential problem, seeing as I didn't have my license yet and I knew Jake wouldn't have let me walk there every time I visited.

"Jacob can escort you, so don't worry about the transportation." Edward assured me, now in the room sitting next to me. _I thought he couldn't read my mind! Or was I just that predictable?_

"Too bad you guys can't come…" I sighed. "I'd love for you all to hang out with us."

Esme flitted over to my side and put a hand on my shoulder. "Maybe you could invite Jacob over for dinner. I'm sure everyone would love to meet him!" I beamed at her gratefully, while Alice nodded vigorously, Jasper, Emmett and Edward smiled and Rosalie scowled.

* * *

I was sitting on the porch waiting for Jake to arrive. He had called shortly after I heard the news and told me to get ready so we could hang out.

I was so excited. My first time in La Push legally! I felt as though I had finally gained my lawful rights to be with Jake. Even better, I _won _them. I knew nothing would have stopped us from seeing each other, but it felt good to know that I at least had the approval of the Cullens and Billy.

It was one of those moments, when you felt so high; it was like you were on the strongest drug! Not that I had ever tried drugs, I just assumed. Did vampires even get affected by drugs or alcohol? Not likely. Not even half-vamps like me. Maybe, though. _Wouldn't it be fun if Emmett tried it? _I thought._ I bet he would do it if I dared him to! Wouldn't it be ridiculous if it worked though?_ It would go against all vampire physics…

Too busy in my own little world, I didn't notice Jake's rabbit until it pulled up into the driveway. Jake swung the door open and I lunged myself at him. He caught me in his strong, warm embrace and squeezed me tightly.

"Can you believe it?" He exclaimed.

"I know!" I replied, my words followed by a squeal.

He kissed me full on the lips and I marveled at how well we fit together; my tiny form enveloped in his enormous arms, my cold lips moving against his burning ones enthusiastically.

He pulled open the door on the passenger side and sat me down. Then he ran over to the driver's side and we started our fifteen minute journey. I asked if we could go for a stroll, therefore he parked near First Beach. He liked looking at the ocean as he walked.

We talked about everything we could think of. All throughout our walk, I felt as if someone was watching. Every time I turned around though, no one was there.

"So do you know why your dad changed his mind?" I asked, trying to keep my mind off the creepy feeling.

"He is convinced that our love is strong and could survive anything." He replied, smiling. "So why separate us?" _Good to know that our relationship status was so obvious!_

Suddenly, he stopped walking and stared ahead, his eyes narrowing in a glare. I followed his gaze and saw none other than Embry and another big guy – who looked just like Embry from a distance, just taller – watching us. Well, it was more like glaring, but not towards Jake; towards me.

"What's their deal?!" I asked exasperated. Stalker II - the taller one - frowned and clenched his fists, giving me the dirtiest look I had ever received.

I averted my eyes towards Embry, but he wasn't watching me anymore. He was having a staring contest with Jake, both of them wearing pained expressions on their faces. It was like they were communicating with their eyes. Embry looked down and walked away grabbing Stalker II's arm – who was shaking by now.

"Jake?" I asked putting a comforting hand on his cheek. "What happened to you and Embry?" _Subtle, am I not?_ He always avoided the subject, but from what I could gather they were friends, along with Quil, until Embry just stopped hanging out with them.

"Nothing." He tried to smile, but I could see right through it.

I raised my eyebrow. "It's just… Quil, Embry and I, we were best friends since we were five." Jake pulled me down onto a log overlooking the coast. "It's always been 'Quil, Embry, Jacob'; we were constantly together. Then last month, it became 'Quil and Jacob'. Embry simply wasn't included. He just didn't hang out with us anymore." He stopped, not wanting to say anything else and hoping I wouldn't ask.

"Why?" I did anyway. I had to know.

"Sam Uley." He said as if that would explain everything. _Why is Sam Uley always the cause of all our problems? Why couldn't he just mind his own damn business?!_ "Em is now a part of their little goody gang."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah… Remember how I told you Sam and his lackeys were always watching the three of us? Well, that intensified when Embry got sick."

"What was wrong with him?"

"He had a high fever, always complained about headaches and was kind of… moody. He looked like he would collapse at any moment! His mom wasn't letting him go to the hospital for some strange reason. Crazy, if you ask me…" He looked deep in thought as he remembered. "Then he just disappeared. He was nowhere to be seen for over two weeks. When we asked about it, his mom told us that he was visiting his aunt in Alaska. When he got back, he was different; and not just physically. We tried talking to him, but he said it was too dangerous and began avoiding us. He was part of the gang by then. The other guys, Jared and Paul, stalked us more closely than before. Even Embry started doing it now."

He turned to me as if recalling I was here and sighed. "That was Paul with Embry. He's a jerk. They were probably spying on us, so they could go confirm to the Elders that you're a bloodsucker and in no time you will be sucking me dry." He chuckled and I joined in nervously. Poor Jake. I could tell how much he missed his friend. _Why would Embry say he was dangerous?_ So many mysteries in La Push… _And what is it with La Push boys and shaking?! First Jake, then Sam and now Paul. _

"Do you know why they're watching you?" I inquired.

He stared at me quietly, pulling on one of my curls. "Why are you taking this so seriously?"

"Well… You're important to me and I know this is bothering you, so…" I trailed off as he caressed my cheek lovingly making me blush.

"Don't worry about it, Stella. It's not that bad anyway." His eyes proved him wrong, but I nodded nonetheless

He beamed at me, instantly improving my mood." What do you want to do for the rest of the day?" _Way to change the subject. _I praised.

* * *

We continued our walk, always hand-in-hand, until it was time for me to go. The moon was already high up in the sky and I knew Esme would not appreciate me being out so late.

"You'll come tomorrow, right?" He asked eagerly as we drove through Forks towards the outskirts of town.

"Uh… Why don't you come for dinner to my house instead?" I suggested. "Esme would love to meet you. Alice can't wait to properly get to know you either."

He grinned widely. "Sure, sure. At least we'll be safe from the La Push gang."

"Right." I agreed. We saw them again after our talk, only this time Embry wasn't there. Stalker II – Paul - was now accompanied by Stalker III – Jared, apparently - and at the end by Ultimate Stalker – Sam. I noticed them while Jake and I were making out in a shadowed corner. They all had disgusted looks on their faces. _It gets annoying, let me tell you!_ I almost ran over and slapped the hell out of them, but I was stopped by Jake's warm arms around my waist. Okay, _first_ I tripped while getting up from Jake's lap and _then_ I felt his arms holding me to stop me from falling. Can you imagine how furious I was when I saw this _annoying_ smirk grow on Paul's face?!

"I think you'll like my family. Especially Em." I informed him. Emmett was the kid amongst the vampires. He acted around my age – or younger – so it wouldn't be hard for him to get along with Jake.

"That's the big one, right, the one I met?" He asked curiously.

I smacked his arm. "So you only differentiate my family by labeling them by their physical traits?" I pretended to be offended. "The pixie, the blonde girl, the blonde guy? What am I then? The clumsy brunette?!"

"No, baby!" He exclaimed. "You're the kissable brunette!" To demonstrate, he took my hand and kissed it. I snatched it back and pouted, but couldn't stop the smile I was hiding from sneaking onto my face.

As soon as we got out of the car, he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. We didn't need to talk then, we communicated through our touch, letting each other know just how significant we both were; how much we needed each other. He kissed me once, twice, three times and we said our goodbyes.

* * *

I walked into the house swooning with a hand pressed to my chest, just like all the other love sick teens. _How could he have such an effect on me?_

"That boy really loves you." Edward appeared suddenly beside me, breaking me out of the Jacob induced trance as I jumped at least five feet in the air – _Emmett would find this very amusing if he wasn't off with Rose somewhere, breaking more buildings with their "blazing passion" _(quoting the oh-so-poetic Rosalie).

"What did he think?" _How useful is a mind-reader in this case?_

"I just told you." He answered in a matter-of-factly voice. "He loves you and adores you. He can't keep his hands off you. All he thinks about is _Stella, Stella, Stella_…" By the second 'Stella', his voice got whiny. He had no idea how immature he sounded then. He wasn't nearly as childish when I first came. What can I say; I help bring out the inner child even in someone like the hundred year old vampire.

I glided out of the room happily, spending the rest of the night daydreaming about – _guess who_ – Jake. Eventually, sleep overtook me.

* * *

_Green. That was all__ I saw. Everything was a green blur, moving too fast for me to determine my location or the direction I was running in. _

This must be how vampires feel when they run._ I thought_. Except they probably see where they're going.

_It was night time. There were trees. Lots of trees. It reminded me of the forests in Forks, although it had to be another place since the vegetation seemed__ thicker. I heard waves crashing against the rocks and the shore far away from me. I heard tiny animals scurrying through the bushes, trying to avoid the predator, me. _

How was I so fast? Where was I? What's happening?_ Questions like those bombarded my head. _

_I tried to slow down to a stop, but my body wasn't cooperating. I couldn't even sense my moving limbs or my labored breath.__ All I could do was _see_ and _hear_. _

_The trees began thinning out and I stumbled upon a meadow. It was similar to the one where Jake and I went hiking, but it didn't possess the same magic. The moon was sparkling up in the sky, noticeable for the first time out in the open. The wind whipped past me slower and slower until it was just a pleasant breeze. The body looked down without my consent and neither of us was expecting what we saw._

_Black fur._

* * *

I awoke, panting. Carlisle was standing by my bed with Edward at his side. They both looked at me with concerned eyes.

"What did you see?" Edward asked, sitting down next to me and putting a comforting hand on my back until my breathing was back to normal.

"I… I'm not sure." I paused to gather my thoughts. The details were hazier than after all my other dreams. "It wasn't like before. This time I wasn't just an observer, I was seeing everything from the _thing's_ eyes."

"Thing?" Edward enquired, but was interrupted by Carlisle.

"It doesn't matter." He said dreamily. _Uh-oh, I know that voice. _A new theory about my incredible awesome-ness was at the bay. "This means that your ability is getting stronger." I was right. "In time, you might be able to _be _the person in the memory, to hear its thoughts… You might even be able to influence its actions, change the present!" His eyes widened and danced with excitement.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Carlisle." Edward warned. "I don't doubt that Stella could do something like that, but the gift will grow in time." _What was Carlisle thinking?_ "We shouldn't hurry it up." Edward finished. _Did Dad want to train me or something? Did he want me to become the ultimate killing machine? To help him enslave all the humans, create a new race of super-powered robot-vampires to take over the world?!_ I imagined Carlisle doing an evil laugh while biting a robot-like thing, its purplish blood oozing from the wound._ Whoa… I really need to get some sleep… _

"Stella, what did you dream about tonight?" Carlisle asked inquisitively.

"I was running." I told him plainly. He urged me on, gesturing with his hands, but there wasn't anything else. "That's it. I was in the forest, sprinting." I clarified. "I might have been as fast as a full-blooded vampire, I wouldn't know." Insert glare towards Edward, given that he was most opposed to the idea of me riding on Emmett's back… He shrugged, still managing to look as graceful as ever with the casual motion; vampire grace was a good trait to have - _of course, I don't, but that's beyond the point_. "I could also hear and see everything with heightened senses. I remember something dark underneath me, but when I try to think about it, I can't recall exactly what it was." I looked at Carlisle, searching for an answer to my dilemma. He didn't know, though, he wasn't in the dream. It was like my mind put a block on the black thing. _What could that mean?_

"And you could identify the dark object in the dream?" Carlisle questioned. I nodded seriously. "Your subconscious mind might be trying to keep that detail away from you. It must be something that would change your life drastically, something you don't want to know."

_My stupid "gifts" keep causing more complications in my life… Why would I try to forget that infuriating little black thing? What could affect __me so much? What do I need to find out?_

* * *

**Finally, ****Chapter 11. I would have posted it earlier, but I had a bad case of writer's block. Sorry… The plan was to post two chapters by now (today's should have been a Valentine's Day special), but it didn't work out.**

**What do you think was the deal with the fur? Since I'm sure most of you know what it was, who do you think the memory came from? **

**Next chapter will be all about V-Day. It will also be Stella B-Day on the same date, so Jake will have to do something for both holidays… What do you think he should do? What should he get her?**

**_-Star_**


	13. Chapter 13

**12. Some People Are Just That Thick**

Three months have passed since I became an exception in the treaty. Three glorious months spent with Jake and the others. I didn't even mind all the running around, from my house to his. I had gotten faster and was almost at the level of a full-blooded vampire. Countless holidays had gone by: Christmas, Valentine's Day and birthdays. For Christmas, Jake had come over to the house and finally met the Cullens. The next day, we had a celebration at Billy's, too. All in all, I had come to think of us as a big family.

The cryptic dream was on my mind all the time. I didn't have any other dreams since that one and I was beginning to get a _feeling_. You know the one when you just know something would go wrong and soon. During the last week, I hadn't gone to La Push or really left my room for anything except school or research. I visited the library at school, in town, in Port Angeles, and even Seattle. I found nothing, but I really didn't know what to look for. Still, I was grateful for the time alone, because it was just the type of isolation I needed to figure out the dream.

"Stella!" A lilting voice sounded through my room. I was sitting on my bed, reading one of the large tomes Carlisle always kept in his office. Alice was the one interrupting me, as always.

"Yes, Alice?" I made sure it was spoken in an extra sweet tone, so as not to upset her. She didn't really agree with the whole "loner phase", as she called it.

"We're going outside." She stated confidently. _Aww, I knew it was too good to be true. _"We have to go shopping. I will not subject myself to shopping with 'the men' again! The only thing they're good for is carrying bags!" I could have sworn I'd heard a shout of protest from downstairs.

"Alice, you know I love you, but now is not the time. I need to figure this out."

"Sweetie, you've been at this for the last week. To tell you the truth, we all think you should get out for a while." Esme appeared at my door, the voice of reason.

"Oh, Mom! Not you too! Don't give into this little devil's manipulations!" I think the puppy dog eyes I added were a little over the top, but what can I say?

"It might help you find whatever you are looking for. The research obviously isn't doing anything."

I sighed. There was no denying those two. Besides, I had been getting bored. I had started doodling demented little flowers all over my special dream journal (courtesy of, yeah you guessed it, Alice). "Fine. But as long as she takes me to the line, so I can go to Jake's after."

"Call first, Stella. Remember your manners."

"Yeah, okay."

* * *

Shopping that day was actually fun. It was just Alice and I and I found that Alice wasn't so pushy if there was no one around to help my arguments. The downside was that I ended up with way too many clothes, some I would never wear anyway. As we drove down the road leading to La Push, I couldn't really fault her for making me leave my room. The only thing important then was Jake.

"Take care, Stella. Don't let the big bad wolf get you!" The pixie winked as she rode away. I started running.

I knocked on Jake's door. Since I heard no answer, I followed Billy's advice and invited myself in. I was almost bouncing with excitement. Even though I had been in the house countless times, it still felt strange being there alone. I sat down on the couch in the living room with a heavy sigh. _I wanna see my Jacob!_ I though childishly. _It's not fair. I haven't kissed him for a while..._ I don't know how long I remained there, waiting for them, but when they came… well, let's just say that I was less than presentable.

I had unfortunately fallen asleep on the couch. _Just because I'm so smart!_ A door slam was what woke me up. A powerful one from the sound of it. I sat up and almost fainted at the sight before me (_of course, I hadn't fainted since I was at the orphanage because of my powers, but I felt that that was one occasion which allowed passing out_). There, in front of me, were five guys. I should mention that they were topless guys, just to avoid confusion. I knew them, how could I not: Sam, Paul, Jared, Embry, and… Jake. As they stared at me, I knew my hair was a mess and I was almost positive there was a little drool sliding down my chin. My clothes were rumpled and my makeup was horrifying. I bet they would have ran away screaming if they weren't so intimidating themselves. Or they would have burst-out laughing. Which is what they did; three out of five. Sam was still glaring at me angrily, and Jake was looking anywhere but at me. _Why, oh why, Alice did you have to exhaust me so?_

"Quiet!" Sam bellowed at the laughing hyenas. Instantly, there was silence.

"What are you doing here?" That man was scary…

"Pfft… What are you doing here?" I retorted. _Yeah, I know, I'm so cool. _I must have lost my ability to think at that moment and it was not because of the popping vein above Sam's left eyebrow.

He wasn't impressed. "Nobody has invited you here. That was in the treaty. You are only allowed to be in La Push if you're wanted!" I did not know that, but I decided to play along.

"Of course somebody wants me here! Who do you think I came to see in the first place?" What was he talking about, anyway? I couldn't recollect fighting with Jake or Billy, so I knew they wouldn't object to my presence.

"Nobody needs you, _Cullen_!" Paul sneered. He spat out my name with such disgust that I almost recoiled. "I don't even know why we agreed to the treaty. It was just a waste of time. I have better things to do than consort with bloodsuckers!"

_Uh-oh. Not good…_

"What the hell are you talking about? Bloodsuckers? Those 'roids must be more dangerous than I thought!" He started shaking at this. Jared and Sam both moved to put a hand on his shoulders. I wasn't looking at them, though. I was focusing on Jake who had started talking.

"Don't try to deny it, Stella. We all know what your family is." I was starting to get scared. He crept forward slowly, still not raising his head to look at me.

"I… Jake, you know I don't-"

"Don't what, Stella?" He interrupted fiercely. "Don't lie to me? Oh, that's funny!" He threw a bitter laugh in my direction.

"Jake?"

"As I said, we know what they are…" He lifted his head then and I was amazed to see disappointment and disgust in his eyes. I never would have thought I would see anything other than love in the chocolate orbs. "But what are you? You don't smell like them, I've never seen you with blood dripping down your chin… What could you be?"

He was so close to me, I wanted to reach out and touch him.

"Don't do this, please." I lifted my hand toward him.

"I want to know the truth!" He was yelling and shaking, much like Paul. I couldn't find my voice. He was worse than Sam.

"TELL ME!"

It was safe to say I was overwhelmingly terrified. As you read this, don't think that I was thoughtless or rash. I just couldn't take it anymore; him shouting at me, his new 'friends' glaring… So, I did the only thing I could. Snap.

"Fuck you, Jake! Yes, my family is a 'bloodsucking' family! So what? Does that mean we're all monsters? I would have thought you'd know better, idiot! After all that talk about fighting against anything and everything to stay together, you betray me like this! Have I ever done anything against you? Has my family? You arm wrestled with Emmett, you played cards with Jasper… You made out with me! Did I ever try to eat you?" I had to stop and take a breath. I gave him a teary eyed, betrayed look. "Guess what, Jacob? I don't care anymore! You and your little friends can fuck off and leave me and my family the hell alone!" At the end of my tirade, I was shaking harder than any of them. If I wasn't so mad, I would have been laughing. Or crying, whichever…

I ran at top speed from La Push, without looking back. It was raining again, but I didn't notice. It fit my thunderous mood perfectly. Only when I entered Forks did I comprehend that I had just told five guys the Cullens' secret. I also grasped the fact that they knew before I had told them. I really didn't get it at all…

How did they know? I remembered that there were the Quileute legends. But why would Jake and the boys suddenly believe in them? What could have happened to make them believe?

And then it hit me (quite literally, a huge piece of hail fell onto my head). The realization made me stop running, trip over a log and slide into the mud. I sat there, cold and dirty, in shock. It all made sense. Billy's wariness around me and my family, his warning that it could be dangerous to keep the relationship going, Jake's sudden growth spurt (and not just in height) and my dream.

Sam's group wasn't a cult or anything like it. It was a pack. And Jake was part of it. Why did it take me so long to see it? _Could I be any more dense?_

_

* * *

_

**Well, I'm going to need some help with the plot. Honestly, I'm not as enthusiastic about the story as I was before. I had the whole thing plotted out, but then I had to change one little detail and now it's all different. So if anyone has any ideas, I would love to somehow incorporate them. Also, sorry for the wait. I hope the next chapter won't take as long.**

_**-Star**  
_


	14. Chapter 14

**13. Gift horse?**

As I sat in the mud, I contemplated what I had just learned. There was a pack of werewolves in La Push. Jake was a werewolf and part of the pack. Sam Uley was the leader. Or was it Alpha? Going by what I had seen at the house, Jake was disgusted by me. The old werewolf vs. vampire thing was too much for him to take. He didn't want to fight for us… Didn't he care? Was it simply too hard for him?

A car passed by at high speed, honking. Hmm… It would've been so easy to just get up, stand on the road, and wait for another car to come and run me over. My life was pure crap. My mom had died, simply because she had figured out who and what her soul mate was. I remembered her as happy and smiling, but I had no way of knowing. She was taken from me before I could even begin to comprehend what a blessing it was to have her. I was only ten years old when she died and I can recall being a complicated child. I liked to argue and whine and make her life difficult. After she died, I had no other living family, so I was forced to live in an orphanage overflowing with children, where I could talk to no one about my life and where I could never fit in. I had a father, obviously, but I had found out that he was alive too late; all the same, he didn't care enough to find me even if he knew about me… The only family I had in the world was a creepy old uncle; someone who had betrayed his own brother for the precious vampire empire. I was so lonely.

Then a little ray of sunshine disrupted my dark thoughts, reminding me of the Cullens. However, I had to wonder, was it really lucky that they had come for me? In the past few months that I had lived with them, I had established that I would only grow in power and most likely eventually become a bloodsucking creature of the night. I never wanted that. It horrified me. My mother's stories of them were scary, whenever she talked about her experiences. Yes, she spoke about my father in a sweet voice filled with love, but I had gotten the impression that the other vampires – the non-vegetarians – were all vicious savages. That changed when I met the Cullens. The only thing that kept me going while I was in Los Angeles alone was that I would someday be able to get the truth about my parents and confront the Volturi. The Cullens answered all my questions, not knowing if I would like their response, just feeling that I needed to know. They gave me something I craved for ever since Mom's death, love and a sense of belonging. Then Jake had come along and made everything even better. His glowing grins, casual touches, adoring kisses… He just had to go and ruin everything by listening to Sam Uley and the Stalkers! Why would he believe them over me? Was he so insecure in our love, in the fact that we belonged together?

"Jacob! You _idiot_!" I yelled into empty air. My anger was slowly returning, clearing all the miserable thoughts I was foolish enough to harbour. "How could you? I loved you! I believed in us! Damn it, I loved you! I loved you! I love you!"

All the shouting had left me empty. I watched as the occasional car passed by, tears running down my face, barely distinguishable from the rain. The weather suited my mood perfectly. I was numb. I started walking. I didn't know where, but I felt it was the right way. It was the _safe_ way. The green and brown all around me made me feel somewhat grounded. It was familiar, something I was used to and that could never really be taken away. Eventually, I recognized the trees leading to the driveway of the Cullens' home. _My home._

* * *

My phone rang, the sound buzzing through my head shrilly.

I was in my room, sitting on my bed, in my Cookie Monster pyjamas, eating chocolate ice cream – _thanks Alice!_ – wallowing in self pity. I know it doesn't sound nice when I say it and I know I should have probably been in denial about it, but it really was all I was doing. And I had no intention of stopping for a long time. Three days had passed since Jake and I… broke up (_nice way of saying it, of course_). I had been doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and thinking. I skipped school; Esme thought it would be okay since it was almost the weekend. I believe she let me stay knowing that my temper would flare surrounded by all the annoying and clueless students – Jessica! Mike! – and that I wouldn't last the whole day anyway. Also, Quil was still going to Forks High. I had become close to him since Jake had transferred and I thought of him as a friend. I couldn't possibly face Quil and not tell him what would happen to him and why Sam Uley and now his best friends were stalking him. Maybe I could save him from their influence, I would have excused my actions, but I knew he would become one of them since he had the gene and there was no avoiding it.

"What?" I asked rudely, almost snarling into the phone. Why would anyone call at such an obviously dreadful time?

"Stella? It's me, Billy." My jaw dropped open. _Billy? Why do I never check that damn caller ID?_

"Um… You, uh…" I took a moment to collect myself. "How are you?" Small talk was the answer to everything.

"Fine. Listen, Stella, I wasn't there on Wednesday," _also called the day my life was ruined_, "but I heard about your little… encounter."

"Oh, did you?" Keep it simple.

"Do you know now why I was so opposed to the pair of you in the beginning?"

"Yes. They're werewolves. You thought it wouldn't be too safe."

"Right. Anyone who has come to know you as I have these past couple of months can discern the difference between you and the other bloodsuckers." I let it slide that time. Did he think I was a vampire too? "You're not dangerous at all. Jacob is confused. Everything he thought was true has become muddled. He thinks you lied-"

"I never lied!" I interrupted. "The secret must be kept! There are consequences." I sounded like a rule fanatic. _Vampire_ rule fanatic. Maybe even Volturi fanatic. I shuddered in revulsion.

"I know, Stella. Jacob doesn't. He's not focusing on the big picture right now." _Don't defend him! _What is the big picture anyway?

"Whatever."

"Jacob is very stubborn and hot-headed. You know this, Stella. I'm telling you he didn't mean whatever he said about you and your family." There was a slight pause at the word family. _Old habits die hard._ Still, he had accepted me and the Cullens; it was much more than I could hope for from a Quileute elder.

"How do you know?" I couldn't let myself hope. Even if Jake hadn't meant it, it still hurt. He obviously didn't love me as much as he told me.

"I know my son."

"Well, I thought I knew him too. What if Sam changed him? What if being with all of them made him hate me and my family? Billy, you know what we are, right?"

"I do. I thought your whole kind was full of heartless monsters before I met you. See how I changed?"

"I'm not exactly one of the vampires, Billy." It was time to come clean, I thought.

"What?" I heard a slight pause, followed by a chuckle. "Figures, I always thought you were special. You'll tell me all about it next time you come to see us. My point is that Jacob has never been easily influenced by his peers. The phasing has made him disoriented and he's lacking his usual level of confidence. And the impr-" He interrupted himself this time, but continued on smoothly, changing his wording. "This is all so new to him. As soon as he gets over it, as soon as he gets used to the new emotions and thoughts, everything will be back to the way it was." That made me angry.

"So I'm supposed to wait for him to adjust? He can disrespect and hurt me any time he wants, whenever it's hard for _him_. What about me? If he loves me, he should've taken my feeling into consideration!" I took a deep breath. It wasn't the old man's fault; he was trying his best to mend the relationship, going against his own son's wishes. "Billy, you don't know how much it hurts to be… disregarded like that. All casually, like he doesn't care at all. It seems he took their side over mine. Just a week ago, he despised Sam and his good gang. I guess pack would be more appropriate now. Now I'm the one he won't even look at!"

There was a silence. I assumed he didn't know what to say. "Billy, thanks for trying. I gotta go." I hung up. _Back to wallowing._

* * *

It was time for school. Esme thought it would be good for me to go out and socialize. _What better place than school?_ The night before, I had hardly slept a wink. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw faces: the Cullens, the wolves, Billy. They were all accusing, horrified or betrayed. I wasn't sure if it was my gift of seeing the past acting up or if it was just my imagination. I was too stressed out to try to make sense of the dreams, but I was hoping it was the latter. If it was induced by my gift, I trusted that as soon as I settled down a bit, the dream would turn into something decipherable.

Jasper was sitting next to me in Edward's Volvo. Edward was driving with Alice in the front, chatting away, and the two of us were occupying the backseat. I figured Jazz was there in case my feelings went haywire at school. I was to meet him in the hallways every break, so he could see how I felt. Esme was trying to ensure my safety and happiness. She said that Jazz could take me home if he felt I couldn't handle it anymore. She had good intentions. However, it was driving me crazy. I wasn't some fragile porcelain doll. I could take care of myself and I had good control on my emotions. I proceeded to ignore and reflect his power the entire morning. He couldn't feel or change my emotions.

By lunch, I was thoroughly annoyed. Jazz was so nice and always so careful. I felt bad for ignoring him, but it was too much. I seriously contemplated going to sit with Quil, knowing that I would blurt something out. I didn't want Jasper's compassion. It made me think of the reason I needed it. Stupid Jacob Black.

"Come on, darling." A voice drawled from behind me. Jasper took my hands and started pulling me towards the cafeteria. "Cheer up. They're serving pizza today. You like pizza, don't you? You can get the vegetarian! Or Hawaiian! Pepperoni and mushrooms! Ooh, meat lovers! Stop me when I hit the jackpot!"

"Fine… And I'll get the pepperoni. Can't stand mushrooms…" I answered, pouting childishly.

"Well, there you go. Listen to old Uncle Jasper and everything will be a-okay." A small laugh escaped me at the expression and his impression of 'old Uncle Jasper'. We sat down at our usual table, in the far corner of the cafeteria, accompanied by the others. Jazz grinned brilliantly at me and I stopped resisting his gift. Almost immediately, a sense of relief and giddiness filled me. Yeah, it wasn't mine, but it was all I had. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, as they said.

* * *

**I'm looking for a beta-reader. If anyone is interested, please PM me.**

**_-Star_  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**14. Hope**

Three weeks had passed since the day I found out what my boyfriend was. Ex-boyfriend, now. I was handling the pain fittingly. I coped with it as well as I could.

I was kept busy by my family. Esme recruited me in her plan to remodel the house. The spaces we were redecorating were the two sitting rooms and the hallways. She had promised that I could do my own room if I helped. I was more than happy to, since it took my mind off of the 'problem' I had with Jacob. We visited local stores, looking for materials like paint, pictures and little details to fill in the empty spaces. We searched the internet for rare decorations and paintings, but Alice did manage to drag us on long shopping trips from time to time. On those days, we bought furniture. Even though I hated to admit it, Alice really did have a talent when it came to shopping. All of our best pieces came from her favourite stores and were inspired by her ideas. It made sense that she would know what would fit in perfectly, as she could see the future. The remodelling occupied most of my days after school.

When I wasn't out shopping or thinking up new ideas for the rooms, I was hanging out with Angela (the one whose identity I had temporarily stolen to get into Billy's house) and Quil. Angela was sweet and oddly understanding when I spoke about my relationship with Jake. I didn't tell her the whole story behind the break-up. In fact, the topic was mostly avoided. Angela just knew when it was okay to ask and when it was better to leave the issue alone. She was a good friend. Quil was different. He was always happy and smiling. Sometimes, his grin could almost distract me from thinking of a certain Quileute boy, but then it also brought on the memories of him. I tried to clear them away whenever they came up in my mind and it worked while with Quil. He never talked about Jake. Come to think of it, he never uttered a word about what I knew now was the pack. He was lonely. I could relate to the feeling and I believe that was the main reason we stuck together. I was starting to think – hope – that he wouldn't phase. If he didn't change soon after Jake did, why would he change at all? He had the same amount of exposure to my family as his friend, so they should have changed at the same time. Technically. At least that was my theory. I was getting scared though; Quil had been missing school for the last five days. I hoped he was sick, however awful that sounded. It was better than the alternative.

"Hey, Stell. How's it going, little girl?" Emmett was in my room all of a sudden._ Why does he barge in like that?_

"Um… you know… the usual."

"Ah… Still weeping over the mutt, I see?" _Why would anyone ever accuse Emmett of being insensitive?_

I cleared my throat. "No, actually. What makes you think that?"

"Other than the fact that you've been staring off into empty space for a while with this utterly ridiculous look on your face, nothing much." His bluntness was almost refreshing. Everyone seemed to tiptoe around me ever since the breakup. Emmett was too frank; he could never keep his thoughts to himself. Unexpectedly, I was being pulled into a hug.

"Sorry, sis. I know you liked Jake. Hell, I did too. So, I thought you should hear this. You know how we vampires have awesome nose powers?"

"Right…?" _How random…_

"I've been smelling dog around the forest for a while now. It seems one of your buddies got too close to the line. Probably crossed it too, the bastard." He grinned. I knew he was joking. "The family told me not to tell you, they said it was Quil. Frankly, I don't think the little guy could reek that much." My eyes widened.

"Emmett… I appreciate this. Thank you for delivering this information straight to me." My voice was monotone. He smiled carefully. I imagine he was picturing what kind of impact the news would have on me.

"You're welcome." A long pause followed. "Want some ice cream?"

_So I had a wolfy stalker! Who cared? Ice cream made everything better._

* * *

_Green again. What wasn't green in Forks? I knew straight away that this was one of my dreams. I was somewhere in the forest and I could feel panic in the body I was occupying. It ran through the trees with no actual path, as if it was running from something._

_I felt the body shake. The ground around me was getting blurry with the movement. It felt as if I would explode. As if I was being ripped apart. It hurt. A lot. I don't know how the person could have taken it. It must have hurt it more than it hurt me in the dream state._

_Once the sensations stopped, I could hear voices different than my own in the body's head. It was a novel experience. It reminded me of reading someone's thoughts, except for the fact that they could hear what you were thinking also. It was a bit disconcerting, even more so for the body. Finally, I figured out who it was. I couldn't believe he had phased…_

"_Is it you, Quil?" A deep voice boomed._

"_Yeah, Quilly!"_

"_Finally, man! What took you so long? Been hanging out with Jake's leech too much?"_

Oh, so they're talking – thinking – about me. Goody. _I thought. They still considered me Jake's…_

_Everything was so confusing to poor Quil. Who were these new voices? I thought I recognised Sam, Embry, and Paul, but I wasn't sure. The one I wanted to hear wasn't there anyway._

"_What's happening to me? Who are you?" To say that Quil was alarmed would be an understatement. I could feel confusion, anxiety, but fear was the prevailing emotion. I wished I could somehow ease his stress. He didn't deserve to be pulled into the whole situation by Sam. The guy probably did everything he could to speed up the transformation._

"_Quil, calm down." Talk about the devil…I heard a powerful undercurrent in his voice. It must have been something that the wolves had to pay attention to, since I saw Quil starting to take deep breaths even though he still had no idea what was going on._

"_What's happening to me?" He asked slowly. "Am I going crazy…? Oh wow, Quil. Ask the voices. Stupid!"_

"_Quil, it's me Sam. Paul and Embry are also with us. We're a pack. Think about the legends…" And Sam continued on, explaining the whole story to Quil. The other wolves were quiet, adding their own thoughts when asked. It was strange for me. I heard the thoughts of all four of them with my own. I could barely distinguish which voices belonged to which boy. I assumed that was what Edward had to deal with everyday. I almost hoped my gift of mind reading would never fully manifest._

_I tuned back in. Sam was talking about all the members of the pack. He described how they could share thoughts. Quil was listening to everything attentively, more serious than I had ever seen him. Maybe it was the shock. I had started wondering why I was still in the dream, when Sam started a rather interesting topic._

"_Imprinting is the only true way for one of our kind to find a mate. The legends only talk about a couple of cases of imprinting, so the elders assume it is rare. When you see her, actually look into her eyes for the first time, you will forget anything else tying you to this earth. She will be your everything. In our pack it has only happened to Jared and me." I couldn't imagine Sam actually loving anyone. He seemed like such a bastard every time I met him. I pitied the girl. Another thought that occupied my mind was that Jake hadn't imprinted, not on me or anyone else. I tried to ignore it, because I honestly couldn't determine how I felt about the revelation._

"_So you finally phased, Quil? You're really-" The husky voice I had been waiting to hear cut off as my vision blurred and I snapped out of the dream._

_Oh, Quil…_ I thought mournfully. _Why did you have to phase too?_

* * *

I knew that Sam and the others would convince him to stop hanging out with me. I just had to forget him. Never again laugh with him, never again talk… Just like with Jake. Never kiss, hold, love. _Everything's gonna be fine. _I went back to sleep, my mind superficially occupied by the positive notion. My subconscious was filled with sadness and loss.

God or whatever deity had ever existed hated me. I was beginning to think that there was a conspiracy against me. First Jake, then Quil. I didn't know what to do. I sat in the newly decorated sitting room, by myself, contemplating my actions. The family had left me alone seeing what kind of mood I was in. After waking up that morning, I had given the dream a brief reflection, explained it to Jasper and Alice – the only ones around at the time – locked it away in the recesses of my mind, and went to school. That proved to be a bad idea. During classes, the dream kept sparking up. It got a bit too much to ignore and by lunch I was very cross. I could hardly talk to anyone and when I did speak, it was just to snap.

I was mad that my theory about Quil phasing was wrong. A small perk was that I finally knew where he was and why he wasn't at school. Emmett was right when he said he smelled werewolf. At least that was less stress and two mysteries solved. But then again, I had lost both Jake and Quil. Another perk: I still had Angela. However, she would never be clued in on the secrecy surrounding the Cullens. She would go to a college and we would move; I would probably never see her again. A perk: … No perks.

I felt my phone vibrating from my pocket. _Ooh, a text! At long last, a distraction._

_Meet me at that new café next to the school_

"Who is it?" Jasper sat down next to me on the couch. He must have felt the chaos my emotions were in.

"Quil." He looked over my shoulder and read the message.

"Are you going?" His voice was blank, but I knew he was curious.

"Well, should I? Somehow, I thought he wouldn't want to fraternize with the enemy!" I was so confused. What was he playing at? "Could my dream have been wrong?"

"It seems just like all your other ones, from the way you described it. Maybe he wants to… see for himself? Make sure they're telling the truth about us? He is your friend after all." _Yeah, and Jake was my boyfriend._

"That's probably it." I stood up and headed towards my room.

"You going?"

"Sure am. I have to see what he wants, right?" I was a bit comprehensive about the meeting. What if his reaction was the same as Jake's? It would have broken my heart to have Quil hating me too. At least he had the decency to give me the benefit of doubt, unlike Jake.

"Stella, I'm going with you. It's not safe with such a young wolf." Jasper was always a cautious one.

"No! I went to La Push by myself that time and the whole pack was really angry and they didn't phase. Even Jake was pissed and he was the youngest one. I'll be fine. Quil wouldn't hurt me and your scent would just confuse him even more." Jasper nodded uneasily. I skipped out of the house, happy to have had the last word.

Running to meet with Quil only took me three minutes. I entered the café and looked for him impatiently. My eyes almost skipped over a huge muscular body, thinking it couldn't be him, but as I focused, I realized it was. The growth spurt was bigger than I could grasp. I just stared at him open-mouthed. It was like he grew overnight! He wasn't bigger than the rest of the pack had been, but compared to his awkward self before, it was a vast difference.

I snapped out of my daze as he turned around. He must have smelled me. A grin rose on his face and I smiled back, looking unsure.

"I don't know what they were talking about, you don't smell that bad! Kinda sweet, but I can take it…" The comment made me give him a real smile that time. I jumped up so I could put my arms around his shoulders and hugged him.

"I was scared, Quil! I thought you would hate me after hearing the truth!" I was so happy, I could have cried.

"Stella, Stella, Stella… Don't you know me by now? My friends are everything to me. And to give up my best girl-friend would be just devastating!"

"Good. Because I missed you." He gave me another hug as we walked over to a table and ordered. "How are you, Quil, honestly?" I couldn't get the pain _I_ felt during his transformation out of my mind, so how could _he_ endure it?

"Great! I gotta tell you, it was a little painful, but it was worth it. I'm part of the La Push gang now!"

"Sorry to interrupt, but you never wanted to be a part of the _gang_!" I couldn't help but slip that in. It was like they all suddenly changed and became different people when they got into the pack. I did understand that they faced more responsibility, but it was like they gave up half of their lives (_cough_ Jacob _cough_) once they phased.

"Well, yeah…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "But I didn't know what they stood for then. We're a pack, Stella. We protect the Res from… uh, you know…"

"Right." I decided to come clean. I had lied enough and now that he was clued in on the legends; I could tell him the whole truth. "I'm not like my family or any other vampires, Quil. The thing is…" I continued telling him the story of my birth, with minimal details of the parts involving death and pain. I explained all my gifts and my somewhat limited vampire traits.

We stayed at the café for nearly four hours, just talking and catching up on all the details of our lives we couldn't before. It was easier to talk to him, because I knew that he would know exactly what I was saying and that he wouldn't judge first and listen later. We avoided the elephant in the room: talking about Jacob. Quil had his best friend back and was happier then while we had hung out, but I was still missing a part of my heart that Jake had so harshly broken.

At one point, Quil decided to stop the charade. "Stella, how do you feel about Jake now?"

"Ugh, Quil, let's not talk about this." I pleaded with him.

"I need to know."

"Damn it, Quil, why? Why do you care?"

"Because I love you both and I know that Jake has never been as happy as when he was with you. And I can see that you're still hurting over it. Let me help."

I sighed. _Why did he have to be so stubborn?_ "I love him. Always have, always will." I took a shaky breath. "But it's over! He doesn't think of me that way anymore. I'm just another bloodsucker in his mind now! I don't understand how he could have changed so quickly! I thought that what we had was real love. I can't believe he would just leave me because he found out what I truly am! He doesn't know the whole story and he didn't even ask me…" I felt burning tears slip from my eyes. I hadn't cried that much since the day of the break up, but seeing Quil and answering his questions had opened up the dam that kept my feelings at bay for so long. I couldn't stop crying even as I felt Quil hug me, trying to give me some comfort.

"Stella, listen to me. Jake never stopped loving you. You have to believe that. I'm not trying to give you false hope, but you are all he thinks about. I should know; I spend hours in his head every day! I don't know yet why he's so distant or why he's not begging you for forgiveness right now, but I do know that something serious is holding him back. You have to talk to him."

"No! Why do I always have to be the one that goes running back to him? Why doesn't he ever find me first?" I felt desperate rage bubble up inside me. "Is he that much of a coward he can't even face me anymore?"

"Yes, Stella, he is! I told you, something is holding him back! You need to find out what. Even the pack thinks he should talk to you. He's not very useful when all he does is brood and think about you. The only one not convinced is Sam, but-" He stopped himself and I could almost see a light bulb turn on over his head. "That might be it… That just might be it!" He was so excited. He stood up and ran out the door faster than humanly possible, with a hurried "See you soon" over his shoulder.

I sat looking at my empty coffee mug for a few minutes before deciding to go home. Everything was okay between Quil and me, I still had Angela and the family, and I didn't need to miss or even think about Jake. I could occupy myself with school and shopping and decorating. I left the café with a smile, because the little sliver of hope Quil had given me couldn't be extinguished by my pessimistic thoughts. All I had to do was wait.


End file.
